Tempura Udon

Ingredients

• 4 cups dashi stock (kombu and bonito)
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 count large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 count shiitake mushrooms
• ½ medium Japanese sweet potato
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¾ cup ice water
• 1 count large egg yolk
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 8 ounces fresh udon noodles
• 2 stalks green onions
• ¼ sheet nori (seaweed sheets)
• 1 pinch shichimi togarashi (seven spice blend)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare your tempura ingredients. Pat 8 large shrimp completely dry with paper towels and set on a plate — dry shrimp will fry crispier. Clean 4 shiitake mushrooms by wiping with a damp towel, then remove the stems and slice the caps in half. Peel 0.5 medium Japanese sweet potato and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds — keeping them thin ensures they'll be tender inside while staying crispy outside.

2. 2

   Set up your tempura batter station. In a medium bowl, whisk together 0.75 cup all-purpose flour and 0.25 cup cornstarch. In another bowl, combine 0.75 cup ice water (use water straight from the fridge) with 1 large egg yolk and whisk just until combined — do not overmix. The batter should be lumpy and thin, like thin pancake batter. Lumps make for crispier tempura.

3. 3

   Prepare your broth. Pour 4 cups dashi stock into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat — you should see gentle bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, and 0.25 teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust — the broth should be savory and lightly sweet. Keep it at a gentle simmer while you fry the tempura.

4. 4

   Slice 2 green onions on a sharp bias into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Nori will be used for garnish at the end.

5. 5

   Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. The oil should reach 350°F on an instant-read thermometer — this takes about 8-10 minutes. A small piece of batter should sizzle immediately and float to the surface within a few seconds. Do not let the oil smoke or exceed 365°F, or the outside will burn before the inside cooks through.

6. 6

   Working in batches to avoid crowding, dip each shrimp into the lumpy batter, making sure it's fully coated, and gently lay into the hot oil. Fry 3-4 shrimp at a time for 2-3 minutes until they turn pale golden-brown and float to the surface — they should sound crispy when you tap them with a spoon. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

7. 7

   Fry the mushroom halves next. Dip into batter and fry 4-6 pieces at a time for 1.5-2 minutes, until the batter puffs and turns light golden — the mushrooms cook much faster than shrimp. Remove to the paper towel-lined plate.

8. 8

   Finally, fry the sweet potato slices in the same batches, about 2-3 minutes per batch, until they are deep golden and crispy. All the tempura should rest on paper towels to drain excess oil.

9. 9

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 8 ounces fresh udon noodles and cook according to package directions, usually 2-3 minutes for fresh noodles. Stir gently once or twice to prevent sticking. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under warm water to remove excess starch — this stops them from overcooking.

10. 10

    Divide the drained noodles between two large bowls. Ladle the hot dashi broth around the noodles — you want about 1.5 cups per bowl. Arrange the tempura pieces on top: 4 shrimp, 2 mushroom halves, and 3-4 sweet potato slices per bowl.

11. 11

    Garnish each bowl with 1 stalk of sliced green onion scattered over the top. Tear a quarter of the nori sheet into small strips and sprinkle across the surface. Add a pinch of shichimi togarashi for a hint of heat and complexity.

12. 12

    Serve immediately, while the tempura is still crispy and the broth is steaming. The contrast of crispy tempura against silky noodles and hot broth is the soul of this dish — don't let it sit, or the tempura will soften.

Tools you’ll need

• medium mixing bowl
• whisk
• medium saucepan
• instant-read thermometer
• heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot
• slotted spoon
• paper towels
• large pot
• colander
• large bowls (2)
• sharp knife
• cutting board

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