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    Prawn Tempura

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    *mandatory

    Prawn Tempura

    The rules for making perfect tempura batter are at odds with the rules of other pancake batters; the water needs to be icy and it should be lazily mixed into the flour to create a lumpy batter. It’s a matter of keeping a tight leash on your instincts and learning a whole new set of rules.

    • Preparation time: 15 minutes
    • Cooking time: 10 minutes
    • Total time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

    Serves: 4

    Ingredients

    • Dipping Sauce
    • 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
    • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
    • 2 tbsp Mirin
    • 2 tbsp fish stock
    • 12 Madagascan tiger prawns
    • 1 medium egg
    • 125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
    • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
    • 600ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
    • 100ml sesame oil, for deep frying

    Method

    1. Put 250ml cold water in the freezer to become icy cold. Prepare the prawns by removing their heads and shells; leave the tails on. Run a sharp knife down the back of each prawn and rinse, pulling away the dark cord. Pat dry and keep chilled.
    2. Gently simmer all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small pan for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
    3. Half-fill a large saucepan or wok with vegetable oil and sesame oil; heat to 180°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds). When it’s ready, prepare the batter. Break the egg into a bowl, then whisk in the iced water. Add the flour and mix roughly with a chopstick to create a lumpy mixture with pockets of flour. Take a prawn by its tail, dust in flour, dip in the batter, then drop into the oil. Repeat with the remaining prawns: fry in 2 batches for 3 minutes each, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the sauce.

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    Drinks recommendation

    An aged sherry is the greatest partner for crunchily rich prawns.

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