Kakiage (Mixed Tempura) & Tempura Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
 
Ingredients
  • FOR KAKIAGE:
  • 2 medium carrots
  • Large handful of green beans
  • 1 cup gobo (burdock root)
  • 1 medium onion
  • ⅓ pound shrimp (makes 10 -12 kakiage)
  • FOR TEMPURA BATTER:
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 cup and 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water
  • 1 egg
  • Canola oil for frying
  • FOR TEMPURA SAUCE:
  • 2½ cups water
  • Piece of konbu dashi (dried kelp)
  • 1 small package of katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes)
  • ¼ cup shoyu (soy sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dashi powder
Instructions
  1. PREPARE TEMPURA SAUCE: Boil water and add dashi konbu and katuso bushi, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add shoyu, mirin, and dried dashi powder. Simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Remove konbu and discard.  Once it cools, store in the fridge.  I warm-up the sauce in the microwave before serving the sauce in individual cups.
  2. PREPARE KAKIAGE VEGETABLES: Julienne the vegetables using a mandolin: carrots into 2 to 3 inch length pieces.
  3. Sliced the onion in little ½ moon shapes, cutting the onion in half on the horizontal, then vertically (from head to toe).
  4. Next, clean the green beans by removing the vein and sliced these on the diagonal.
  5. Peel the gobo using the edge of the knife, scraping it downward, away from you.  Cut julienne slices about 2 -3 inches long, and soak these in a bowl of cold water.  The gobo will quickly turn color if you don't soak them.  You can leave them soaking in the fridge overnight if you are prepping a day ahead.
  6. Peel and devein shrimp. Then chop shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
  7. Pour canola oil into a deep pot and heat oil on medium-high until the oil reaches approximately 340 degrees F.
  8. PREPARE BATTER: If you are not using prepared tempura batter, in a large bowl, add sifted flour, 1 beaten egg and ice-cold water. Use cold seltzer water for light and crisp results. Gently mix the batter using a whisk but don't over mix the batter.
  9. Add ½ cup of each vegetable and shrimp into the batter.  Gently toss until all of the ingredients are coated.
  10. Set-up trays or plates lined with paper towels to drain the fried kakiage after pulling them from the oil.
  11. Make sure the oil is hot enough.  Using a ladle, scoop about ½ cup of battered ingredients and drop into the oil.  Fry for 4 minutes then flip over and cook for another 4 minutes.  Repeat if necessary until both sides are really crunchy looking - a deep golden brown.
  12. Serve kakiage tempura with hot tempura sauce.
Recipe by Bebe Love Okazu at https://bebeloveokazu.com/2010/04/28/kakiage-mixed-tempura-sauce/