Asian Mushrooms Tempura

Name: Asian Mushrooms Tempura
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200-300 g Asian Mushrooms *cleaned OR washed & dried; e.g. Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake, Enoki, Oyster, King Oyster, etc; Oil for frying; Salad Leaves or Baby Spinach; 1 Spring Onion *finely chopped; Toasted Sesame Seeds; <Tempura Batter>; 1 Egg + Cold Water 1 cup; 1 cup Flour; Salt; Note: Equal volume of ‘Egg + Cold Water’ and ‘Flour’ will be mixed together very lightly. DO NOT over mix. You can add 2 tablespoons of Potato Starch; <Tempura Sauce>; 1 cup Dashi Stock *OR 1 cup Water and 1/2 teaspoon Dashi Powder; 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce; 1-2 tablespoons Mirin; 1 teaspoon Grated Ginger; 1 tablespoon Cornflour (Cornstarch) OR Potato Starch Flour ＊mixed with 2 tablespoons Cold Water

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

Melbourne, Australia

More and more Australian grown Asian mushrooms are becoming available these days. They are very expensive at supermarkets but Asian grocers often sell imported mushrooms that are quite cheap. This time, I cooked Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake and Enoki. Oyster and King Oyster mushrooms are also good for this dish.

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

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Ingredients

4 servings

200-300 gAsian Mushrooms *cleaned OR washed & dried
e.g. Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake, Enoki, Oyster, King Oyster, etc
Oil for frying
Salad Leaves or Baby Spinach
1Spring Onion *finely chopped
Toasted Sesame Seeds
<Tempura Batter>
1Egg + Cold Water 1 cup
1 cupFlour
Salt
Note: Equal volume of ‘Egg + Cold Water’ and ‘Flour’ will be mixed together very lightly. DO NOT over mix. You can add 2 tablespoons of Potato Starch
Sauce>
1 cupDashi Stock *OR 1 cup Water and 1/2 teaspoon Dashi Powder
2 tablespoonsSoy Sauce
1-2 tablespoonsMirin
1 teaspoonGrated Ginger
1 tablespoonCornflour (Cornstarch) OR Potato Starch Flour ＊mixed with 2 tablespoons Cold Water

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Steps

1

Place Dashi Stock, Soy Sauce and Mirin in a saucepan. *Note: If you have shop-bought Mentsuyu or Tentsuyu, you can use it.
2

Add grated Ginger and bring to the boil. Mix Cornflour or Potato Starch Flour with Water, add to the sauce, a little amount at a time, constantly stirring, until the sauce is thickened as required. You do not need to use all the starch mixture.
3

Make Tempura Batter by mixing equal volume of ‘Egg + Cold Water’ and ‘Flour’ very lightly.
4

Prepare mushrooms. If you wash them with water, dry well. Large pieces need to be cut into smaller pieces. Trim Enoki and Shimeji, and tear into smaller pieces. Sprinkle some Plain Flour over and coat mushrooms lightly.
5

Heat Oil to 170°C to 180°C. The right temperature can be tested by dropping a little bit of batter into the oil. If the batter sinks a little into the oil, then comes back the surface, the temperature is right for frying.
6

Dip the mushroom pieces into Tempura Batter and slide them into the oil and cook for a few minutes. Do not fry too many at once. Turn them over a few times. When they are light golden and crispy, take them out and lay them on a rack to drain the oil.
7

Spread some Salad Leaves on a serving plate and arrange the Mushroom Tempura. Drizzle the sauce and sprinkle chopped Spring Onion and Toasted Sesame Seeds over.