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Tendon (tempura rice bowl)
天丼 · Prawn and vegetable tempura over rice with sweet soy sauce
JapaneseIn Tokyo's old shitamachi districts, Asakusa above all, tendon shops have been serving bowls of rice crowned with prawn and vegetable tempura since the Edo period, the batter soaked just enough in a dark, sweet soy sauce to go half crisp, half soft. It is a hearty lunch, and a great way to make tempura at home without having to serve it piece by piece. The tare uses mirin, boiled for a few minutes so the alcohol mostly cooks off; use sugar and water instead for an alcohol-free version. The common mistake is over-mixing the batter: stir with chopsticks only a few times, leaving lumps, and keep it ice-cold so the coating stays lacy and light. Chef's tip: dip each piece in the warm sauce for just a second before laying it on the rice.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the tempura
- 6 large raw prawnspeeled with tails on, deveined, belly scored so they stay straight
- 3 ½ oz sweet potatoin 5 mm slices
- ½ auberginein fans or slices
- 1 litre vegetable oilfor frying
- 2 tbsp plain flourfor dusting
For the batter
- 3 ½ oz plain flourchilled
- 1 eggcold
- ¾ cup ice-cold water
For the bowl
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Method
0/6 doneStep 2: Heat 1 litre vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep pan. Pat all the vegetables and 6 large raw prawns dry and dust lightly with 2 tbsp plain flour.
10 minStep 3: Beat 1 egg with ¾ cup ice-cold water, then add 3 ½ oz plain flour and stir 5–6 times with chopsticks. The batter should be lumpy and thin.
1 minStep 4: Dip 3 ½ oz sweet potato, ½ aubergine and 4 shishito peppers or green pepper strips in batter and fry in batches until crisp and pale golden. Drain on a rack.
8 minStep 5: Raise the oil to 350°F. Batter the prawns by the tail and fry until the coating is crisp and the prawns are pink and opaque.
3 minStep 6: Divide 14 oz hot cooked Japanese short-grain rice between bowls and drizzle with a little sauce. Dip each piece of tempura quickly in the sauce and arrange on top. Spoon over a little more sauce and eat at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 110 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tendon (tempura rice bowl) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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