Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

Ingredients

Shrimp 500 g

Cornstarch 1/4 cup

Flour 3/4 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Sparkling water 1.5 cups

Zucchini 1

Carrot 1

Potato 1

Shiitake mushrooms 4

Sweet and sour sauce

Vegetable oil

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Make a shallow longitudinal cut down the back of the shrimp and remove the dark vein. Make several shallow transverse cuts on the bellies of the shrimp to give them a straight, unbent shape.

Peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut the potatoes, carrots, and zucchini diagonally into large, long slices approximately 5 mm thick.

In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 185°C (355°F). If you don't have an oil/sugar thermometer, this is the temperature of very hot, but not yet smoking, oil.

At the very last moment, when the oil is already hot, add ice-cold mineral water to the flour mixture and mix very, very quickly, but not too thoroughly. Dip the vegetables and shrimp in the batter.

Lower the shrimp and vegetable slices into the hot oil using tongs. Be extremely careful! Cook the shrimp and mushrooms for 2 minutes each, the potatoes and carrots for 2.5 minutes each, and the zucchini for 1.5 minutes. Remove and place on several layers of paper towels to absorb excess oil.

After a few minutes, serve as an appetizer with a suitable dipping sauce.

Enjoy!