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    Home / Dinner / Tempura

    Tempura

    Feather-light shrimp and vegetables in a crackling batter, fried pale gold and served with a warm tentsuyu dipping sauce.

    ⏱ 25 minPrep time
    🔥 20 minCook time
    🍽 4Servings
    🏷 DinnerCategory
    ☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
    Tempura — feather-light shrimp and vegetables in crackling pale-gold batter

    Tempura arrived in Japan with Portuguese missionaries in the sixteenth century and grew into a fine art in Edo, where vendors fried seafood and vegetables in a whisper-thin batter. The secret has always been ice-cold water, a light hand, and hot oil that crisps the outside in seconds. It is elegant enough for a feast and easy enough for a family dinner, and few foods are as beloved or as impressive to watch sizzle in the pan.

    A batter that shatters like glass

    Great tempura is feather-light, crackling the moment you bite and giving way to juicy shrimp and tender vegetables inside. The batter clings in lacy, uneven shards rather than a heavy coat, and the warm, savory tentsuyu dipping sauce ties it all together. Serve it hot, straight from the oil, with rice and a pile of grated daikon on the side. Leftovers never last, but if you have any, reheat them in the oven to bring back the crunch.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Prep the vegetables and make a few shallow slits on the underside of each shrimp so they stay straight when fried.
    2. Make the dipping sauce: simmer the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar together for 2 minutes, then cool and set aside with the grated daikon.
    3. Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350°F.
    4. Whisk the egg into the ice water, then add the flour and stir just a few times. The batter should be lumpy and barely mixed.
    5. Dust the shrimp and vegetables lightly with extra flour, dip them in the batter, and lower them into the oil a few at a time.
    6. Fry the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes and the vegetables for 2 to 4 minutes, until pale golden and crisp, turning once.
    7. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, and serve immediately with the dipping sauce and grated daikon.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Keep the batter ice-cold and mix it just until the flour disappears, even if it looks lumpy. Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the coating stays crisp.

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    Recipe details

    Prep25 min
    Cook20 min
    Servings4
    CategoryDinner
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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