Japanese Tempura Don: Crispy Prawn Tempura Rice Bowl
This Japanese tempura don delivers shatteringly crispy prawns and vegetables over warm steamed rice, drizzled with savoury tempura sauce and furikake. It's easier than you think and costs a fraction of restaurant prices. Here's exactly how to nail it at home.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooking oil for deep-frying, enough for 3–4 inches depth in pan; use vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil
- 4 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice about 2 cups (400g) uncooked
- 4 large shiitake mushrooms trimmed of caps and cut into halves
- 2-3 pieces okra (ladies' fingers) tail trimmed and cut on a slant
- 1 small carrot peeled and sliced
- 15-20 pieces tiger prawns approximately 300g / 10.5 oz, peeled and deveined, tails left on
- ¾ cup tempura flour pre-mix
- 1 cup ice-cold water
- 8 tablespoons tempura sauce such as Kikkoman Tentsuyu
- 4 tablespoons furikake seasoning
Instructions
- Place the tempura flour pre-mix in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add the ice-cold water, stirring gently with chopsticks or a fork using quick, short strokes. Stop mixing while the batter is still slightly lumpy — overmixing develops gluten and creates a heavy coating. The consistency should be thinner than pancake batter, similar to single cream. Keep the bowl over ice if your kitchen is warm.
- Pour enough cooking oil into a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan or wok to reach a depth of 3–4 inches (7–10 cm). Heat the oil to 170–180°C / 340–355°F. Use a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature throughout cooking.
- Pat dry the prawns and vegetables with a kitchen paper towel before frying.
- Test whether the oil is ready by dropping a small amount of tempura batter into the oil. If it sinks briefly, then rises to the surface within 1–2 seconds and sizzles steadily, the oil is at the correct temperature (170–180°C / 340–355°F). If it browns instantly, the oil is too hot — remove from heat briefly.
- Working in small batches of 3–4 pieces to avoid crowding the pan, dip each vegetable piece into the batter, let the excess drip off for a second, and gently lower it into the hot oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes, turning once with long chopsticks or tongs, until the coating is pale golden and crisp. The tempura should float on the surface while frying. If batter does not adhere well, stir an extra tablespoon of tempura flour into the batter. After all vegetables are fried, fry the prawns in batches for 2–3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- When the coated layer turns golden brown, remove the tempura and place them on a kitchen paper towel or rack to absorb excess oil.
- To assemble each tempura don bowl, scoop 1 cup of hot steamed Japanese short-grain rice into a donburi bowl or deep serving bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of tempura sauce evenly over the rice. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of furikake seasoning in the centre. Arrange the freshly fried tempura on top and serve immediately while crispy. Repeat to assemble all four bowls.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 2823kcalCarbohydrates: 183gProtein: 21gFat: 226gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 64gMonounsaturated Fat: 142gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 2062mgPotassium: 518mgFiber: 13gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2350IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 276mgIron: 10mg
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