Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura Donburi (Tendon)
Tendon is a classic Japanese dish featuring crispy tempura served over a bed of steamed rice, drizzled with a savory-sweet sauce. This recipe includes shrimp and a variety of vegetables for a satisfying meal. The light, airy batter makes for perfectly fried morsels.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Per serving
- 1,014 kcal
Allergen information: may contain crustaceans, eggs, fish, gluten, soy, and sulphites. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
tempura
- 340 gshrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on
- 1 pcseggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 pcssweet potato, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 100 ggreen bean, trimmed
tempura batter
- 1 cupall-purpose flour, for dredging
- 1.5 cupice water, very cold
- 1 pcsegg yolk
- 1 cupall-purpose flour, for batter
tendon sauce
- 0.5 cupsoy sauce
- 0.5 cupmirin
- 0.25 cupsake
- 2 tbspsugar
- 0.5 cupdashi stock
serving
- 4 cupsteamed rice, cooked
Ingredients
- 4 cupvegetable oil, for frying
Equipment
thermometer · slotted spoon · large pot · wire rack · mixing bowls · whisk
The method
Step by step
- 1
Prepare the vegetables for tempura: slice the eggplant and sweet potato, and trim the green beans.
About 10 min
- 2
Pat the shrimp and prepared vegetables very dry with paper towels. This helps the batter adhere better.
About 5 min
- 3
In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and dashi stock for the tendon sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Do not boil the sauce; just gently simmer to combine flavors.
- 4
Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep pot or Dutch oven to 170-180°C (340-350°F). Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Maintaining a consistent oil temperature is key to crispy tempura.
- 5
While the oil heats, prepare the tempura batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the ice water and egg yolk until just combined.
About 2 min
- 6
Sift the batter flour into the wet ingredients. Mix briefly with chopsticks or a fork until just combined; it's okay if there are lumps. Do not overmix.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Overmixing develops gluten, leading to a tough, bready tempura.
- 7
Lightly dust the shrimp and vegetables with the dredging flour.
About 2 min
- 8
Dip a few pieces of shrimp or vegetables into the batter, letting excess drip off. Fry in the hot oil in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
About 8 min
Cook’s note: Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per batch, turning as needed.
- 9
Remove the fried tempura with a slotted spoon or spider and place on a wire rack set over paper towels to drain excess oil. Season lightly with salt if desired.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Keep the fried tempura warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining batches.
- 10
Assemble the Tendon: Fill individual serving bowls with steamed rice. Arrange a selection of tempura pieces over the rice.
About 2 min
- 11
Drizzle the warm tendon sauce generously over the tempura and rice before serving immediately.
About 1 min
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 1,014.2kcal
- Protein
- 36.1g
- Carbs
- 139g
- Fat
- 30.6g
- Fibre
- 6.6g
- Sugar
- 22.9g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store leftover tempura and sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Reheat tempura in an oven or air fryer to restore crispiness; reheat sauce gently on the stovetop.