Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

A restaurant favorite made at home! Shrimp and assorted veggies are coated in an easy tempura batter, fried until golden, and served with a delicious sriracha dipping sauce.

Has anyone ever wondered why weekends are only two days out of seven? Whoever came up with the concept of a five day week and a two day weekend is definitely not my favorite person. Weekends should be at least 3 days! I feel like it was just Friday and now it’s already Sunday. Time really needs to slow down!

I’m currently sitting outside in the sun (at my parent’s house) listening to the birds chirp, watching bees go from flower to flower, and have hummingbirds buzzing by my head. I just love mornings. It really is the best part of the day!

Ok, let’s get into today’s delicious recipe…

Before I went gluten-free, I was a frequent visitor to Japanese restaurants. I could eat sushi for every meal, every day of the week (and probably have at one point). One of my favorite rolls to order was a shrimp tempura roll. If for some (very) strange reason, I wasn’t in the mood for sushi, I would always order shrimp and vegetable tempura. I love shrimp and I love anything that’s coated in tempura batter and fried. 

I miss all of these things so much now that I can’t have them. I haven’t tried making my own sushi yet, but it won’t be long before I do. I decided to tackle the tempura first and boy am I glad I did! It’s actually a pretty easy thing to make and with the sriracha dipping sauce…OMG. Move over restaurant tempura!

If you want to make perfect tempura at home, follow my tips. First, make sure everything is prepped and ready to go before you start heating your oil and making the batter. This just makes the whole process a lot easier. 

I like to get all of the vegetables washed, peeled, and cut. Then, have the shrimp ready to go as well. Now you can begin heating up the oil – I use peanut oil in a large dutch oven. While the oil is heating you can make the batter. 

This tempura batter is really easy and comes out perfect every time. It’s a mixture of rice flour, cornstarch, an egg yolk, and seltzer water. The egg yolk adds richness while the seltzer water provides a wonderful light and airy texture. 

Once your oil is heated to 375º, you can start dipping the veggies in the batter and dropping them very carefully into the oil. Be sure not to overcrowd the oil – otherwise you’ll end up with soggy/oily food. Just keep adding until there is an even layer, but nothing is touching. Then, let them cook for 1-2 minutes flipping gently until they are lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and repeat. 

This process isn’t the fastest, but it’s not hard at all. The final product is so worth it! I’ve also discovered that this recipe can be made completely ahead. In fact, I actually preferred the leftovers! All I did was let  the shrimp and veggies cool completely, put them in a container in the fridge and then when I was ready to eat I preheated the oven to 475º, placed a cooling rack over a baking sheet and then put the tempura on the rack. I baked it for about 20 minutes, flipping everything after 10 minutes. It came out perfectly crunchy!

Now, let’s talk about the best dipping sauce. EVER.

Sriracha seems to be all over these days – and for good reason since it’s delicious! I love dipping sauces and decided I was in the mood for a spicy one over the traditional sauce that is served with tempura. Sriracha just seemed like a no brainer.

All you have to do is mix up mayo, rice wine vinegar, and your desired amount of sriracha. I went with 2 tablespoons, but you can easily use more or less depending on how much heat you like.

I used rice wine vinegar in the sauce because it’s always in my pantry and I love the flavor with Asian dishes. However, you can use any type of vinegar or even lemon or lime juice. I made this sauce again yesterday for tempura zucchini  and used lemon juice – it came out perfect! 

I think this sriracha sauce is going to be a regular in my house – I even used it on a BLT. I think it would be great thinned out and drizzled on grilled salmon too. So many possibilities!

If you love tempura you have to try making your own at home. You can use any mixture of veggies you like, but the sriracha sauce is a must have! I don’t fry very often, but when I do I make sure it’s 

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura {with Sriracha Dipping Sauce}

2015-08-02 08:53:44

Serves 4

A restaurant favorite made at home! Shrimp and assorted veggies are coated in an easy tempura batter, fried until golden, and served with a delicious sriracha dipping sauce.

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

For the Shrimp & Vegetables

1. 1 Pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
2. 1 ½ Cups Green Beans
3. ½ Small Kobocha Squash (or butternut squash)
4. 3 Large Carrots
5. Peanut or Vegetable Oil, for frying

For the Batter

1. 1 ¼ Cups White Rice Flour
2. 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3. 1 Egg Yolk
4. 1 ½ Cups Club Soda
5. Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Dipping Sauce

1. ½ Cup Mayonnaise, I use this Paleo Mayo
2. 2 Teaspoons Rice Wine Vinegar*
3. 2 Tablespoons Sriracha, add more or less depending on the heat level you like
4. Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Start by prepping all of your veggies. You want to have everything ready before you make the coating and start frying – this makes the whole process much easier! Make sure the shrimp are patted very dry with paper towels. Set all of the veggies aside while you heat the oil and make the coating.
2. Pour oil into a large pot, allowing it to come up about 3 inches. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot and turn the heat on to high. Allow the oil to heat up to 375º. This will take approximately 10 minutes, depending on your stove and the size of the pot.
3. While the oil is heating up, make the batter. Whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, egg yolk, club soda, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Get the batter as smooth as possible.
4. Once your oil has heated up, begin dipping the veggies, one by one, into the batter until well coated. Allow some excess to drop off and then gently add them into the hot oil. Fry the veggies for 1-2 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp. Transfer the veggies to a baking sheet that is lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat in batches until all the veggies are fried*.
5. Next, batter and fry the shrimp in the same manner.

Sriracha Dipping Sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, sriracha, salt and pepper until smooth. Serve alongside the tempura for dipping.

Notes

1. *I like rice wine vinegar for Asian dishes, but you can use any type of vinegar or lemon/lime juice in this sauce.
2. *How many you are able to add into the pan at one time will depend on the size of your pot, but just make sure to leave enough room so they have enough room to fry. Don’t over crowd the pan! Otherwise you’ll end up with soggy/oily veggies.

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