Classic Japanese Shrimp Tempura Rice Bowl (Tendon)
A beloved Japanese comfort dish, this Tendon features golden, crispy shrimp and vegetable tempura served over fluffy rice, drizzled with a savory-sweet soy sauce.
Tendon, short for tempura donburi, is a staple of Japanese home cooking and casual dining. It balances the delicate crunch of freshly fried tempura with a rich, umami-packed sauce known as tentsuyu. By using the shrimp shells to fortify the sauce base, this recipe elevates a simple bowl of rice into a deeply flavorful culinary experience.
Ingredients
- 10-12 fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 shiitake mushroom, sliced
- 1/2 eggplant, sliced
- 100 ml cooking wine
- 100 ml mirin
- 100 ml light soy sauce
- 90 g sugar
- 1 batch tempura batter mix
- 500 ml vegetable oil for frying
- 4 bowls steamed white rice
- to taste tenkasu (crispy batter crumbs)
Instructions
- 1Prepare the shrimp shells
Place the cleaned and drained shrimp shells into a large pot. These shells will serve as the base for creating a flavorful, umami-rich sauce.
Tip: Ensure the shells are thoroughly drained to prevent excessive water dilution in the sauce. - 2Simmer the sauce base
Add 100ml of cooking wine, 100ml of mirin, 100ml of light soy sauce, and 90g of sugar to the pot with the shrimp shells. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer to extract the shrimp flavor.
Tip: Keep the heat at a steady simmer to allow the flavors of the wine and soy sauce to infuse with the shells. - 3Filter the sauce
Once the sauce has reduced and absorbed the shrimp flavor, pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean dish. Discard the shells and reserve the clarified shrimp-infused sauce.
Tip: Use a fine-mesh sieve to ensure no small shell fragments remain in the finished sauce. - 4Prepare ingredients for tempura
Prepare your shrimp and vegetables, such as shiitake mushrooms and eggplant, for frying. Ensure all ingredients are clean and dry before dipping them into the tempura batter.
Tip: Patting the vegetables dry before battering will help the tempura coating adhere better. - 5Deep-fry the tempura
Dip the prepared shrimp and vegetables into the tempura batter and carefully place them into hot oil. Fry until the batter is light, airy, and crispy.
Tip: Do not overcrowd the frying pan, as this will drop the oil temperature and lead to greasy tempura. - 6Prepare crispy batter crumbs
Drizzle small amounts of remaining tempura batter into the hot oil to create crispy crumbs (tenkasu). Once golden brown, strain them out using a metal sieve and drain on paper towels.
Tip: These crispy crumbs add a fantastic texture contrast when sprinkled over the rice bowl. - 7Drizzle sauce over rice
Take a bowl of prepared white rice and evenly drizzle the shrimp-infused sauce over the surface. The sauce should coat the grains, adding deep savory flavor that will form the base of your tempura bowl.
Tip: Pour the sauce slowly in a circular motion to ensure even distribution across the rice. - 8Add crispy batter crumbs
Sprinkle a generous layer of the fried tempura batter crumbs over the sauced rice. These crumbs add a crucial textural contrast, providing a satisfying crunch in every bite.
Tip: Use a spoon to scatter the crumbs evenly so every spoonful of rice can have some crispiness. - 9Assemble the tempura
Carefully arrange your freshly fried shrimp and vegetables on top of the rice and batter crumb base. Position them to create an appealing, balanced presentation, ensuring the crispy exterior remains visible.
Tip: Tilt the larger pieces like the shrimp against the sides of the bowl to add height to the arrangement.
