Best Japanese Tempura Salad With Ginkgo Nuts Recipes

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Follow these instructions to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry and make sure the moisture is completely removed from the shrimp.
• Cut all the vegetables (except the eggplant) ¼-inch thick. For the eggplant, cut off and discard the stem and calyx, then cut it in half lengthwise. With the cut side flat on the cutting board, cut the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (about ⅛ inch or 3 mm), being careful to leave the bottom tip intact by 1 inch (2.5 cm) so the slices stay connected. Then, gently press down on the slices to fan them out. Repeat with the other eggplant half.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of the oil to 350°F (180°C).
• While the oil is heating up, start preparing the tempura batter. Add the egg and the iced water into a 2-cup measuring cup (or any bowl). Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten.
• Check the oil temperature with a thermometer to make sure the oil is 350°F (180°C). You can also use wooden chopsticks to check; when you dip your chopsticks in the oil and see small bubbles forming, it's ready for deep-frying. Please note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature (320ºF/160℃). If you want to read more deep-frying tips, please read this post.
• Deep-fry starting with the cleaner and less astringent ingredients. For example, the cooking order would be shiso first, followed by the mushrooms, eggplant, shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kabocha. Make sure your ingredients are dry before dipping them in the batter; if they're wet, dry them with a paper towel first. While the tempura is frying, the moisture from the ingredients will evaporate and the tempura will become crispy. However, if the ingredients have extra moisture, the tempura will become soggy after deep-frying.
• When the oil reaches the right temperature, dip one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue dipping and adding one piece at a time. For the shrimp, sprinkle some flour or potato starch (or cornstarch) over it before dipping to help the tempura batter adhere. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle a bit of sifted flour on the back of the leaf, dip only the back of the leaf into the batter, and deep-fry for 15 seconds. The flour acts as a glue and the batter tends to stay on the ingredients better.
• Deep-fry the ingredients until golden brown. Do not crowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop quickly. Remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. Here's the rough cooking time for each of the ingredients: Shiso (350ºF/180ºC, 20-30 seconds), mushrooms (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), eggplant (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), shrimp (350ºF/180ºC, 2 minutes), sweet potatoes (320ºF/160℃, 3 mins), and kabocha (320ºF/160℃, 2-3 mins). Note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature than the rest of the tempura ingredients.
• Transfer the tempura to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Between batches, clean the oil by scooping up the crumbs (called tenkasu), which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot.
• Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out. Prepare 3-4 Tbsp of warm tentsuyu in individual small bowls and serve the grated daikon on the side.
• Put 1 Tbsp of the grated daikon in the sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
• You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. Reheat the tempura at 350ºF (180ºC) in the oven until warm and crisp.

SALMON TEMPURA WITH DAIKON SALAD

Steps:

• For the tempura batter, place 1 1/4 cups of the club soda in a medium mixing bowl and sift the flour and cornstarch over it. Add the salt and whisk until evenly blended. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. If necessary, add additional soda water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach correct consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the asparagus, blanch for 6 minutes, then shock in ice water and drain.
• Place a bamboo sushi mat on a work surface with the slats crosswise. Center 1 sheet of nori on the sushi mat. Place a sheet of salmon on top of the nori, leaving a 1-inch border of nori uncovered along the top. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of black sesame seeds evenly over the salmon and season with salt and black pepper. Place 3 shiso leaves side by side, then add 4 asparagus spears side by side horizontally about 1-inch above the bottom edge.
• Grasping the bamboo mat, the nori, and the edge of the salmon on the bottom, tightly roll up, enclosing the asparagus. Firmly press the 1-inch border at the top to create a seal. (The moisture from the salmon will be enough to make the 2 pieces of nori adhere to each other.) The roll should be about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Carefully remove the bamboo mat, transfer the salmon roll to a plate, and refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making 2 more salmon rolls. The rolls can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours at this point.
• With a serrated knife, cut each of the 3 salmon rolls in half crosswise so that you have 6 (4-inch) rolls.
• In a large heavy saucepan, heat 4 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.
• Insert 1 long bamboo skewer crosswise through 1 end of a salmon roll, then insert another skewer through the other end. Using the ends of the skewers as handles, dip the roll into the tempura batter so that it is completely coated, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Carefully immerse the roll in the hot oil, and after 10 seconds, gently push it off the skewers to float free in the oil. Fry until batter is crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
• With a skimmer, transfer the first roll to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in a very low oven. With the skimmer, remove any leftover bits of batter from the oil so that they don't burn and smoke.
• Repeat with the remaining 5 rolls. With a serrated knife, quickly trim off the ends of the rolls and cut each into 5 (3/4-inch-long) rounds.
• Make a tall mound of the salad in the center of each of 6 serving plates. Lean 5 pieces of roll against the salad around the base. Dot the remaining 1/2 cup of honey mustard dressing (from the salad recipe) around the outer edge of the plates. Garnish the salad on each plate with a pinch of daikon sprouts.
• In a medium mixing bowl, toss the julienned vegetables with the salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the dressing. Reserve remaining dressing for garnish.
• **Chef's Note for preparing salmon slices: Either ask your fishmonger to cut the salmon sheets for you, or buy a fillet of salmon cut from the tail section (where it is the thinnest) and proceed as follows. Make a guide for your knife by placing large wooden chopsticks about 6 inches apart on a cutting board. Place the salmon fillet between them lengthwise and rest the chopsticks against the long edges of the fish. Holding a very long, sharp filleting knife so that 1 flat side of the blade is parallel to the cutting board, slice the salmon horizontally while steadying the top of the salmon with your other hand. When you have cut one sheet, lift it off the fillet and repeat the process a second and a third time, until you have 3 sheets (the blade may end up resting against the guides). Trim the salmon slices to 4 by 8 inches and reserve the trimmings for another use.

JAPANESE TEMPURA SALAD WITH GINKGO NUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the shelled and deveined shrimp, baby corn, ginkgo nuts, sugar peas, mushrooms and red onion. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for no longer than 1 hour. Salad should be only slightly cooler than room temperature. In a small bowl, combine mirin or sherry, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt. Mix well, pour over salad and toss lightly. Combine shredded spinach and cilantro, and divide among 6 salad plates. Top with salad equally divided.