Shrimp Tempura with Tentsuyu Dipping Sauce, Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener

Method

1. Put 180ml dashi broth, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin and 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in a small pot, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until everything has dissolved. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
2. Rinse 10 black tiger prawns, remove the heads, pull out the dark vein and peel them, leaving the tails on. Score a few lines along the belly and bend each prawn backward to straighten it. Press the water out of the tail with the back of a knife.
3. Sprinkle a little potato starch over the prawns, toss, then rinse them under running water. Add 1 tablespoon sake, toss again, drain, and pat the prawns dry with paper towels.
4. Sift 350g all purpose flour into a large bowl. Beat 1 large egg hard with 200ml ice water in a separate bowl and skim off the foam.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour a little at a time, stirring as you go but never thoroughly, and keep the batter very cold.
6. Pour 700ml cooking oil into a pan and heat it to about 170 to 180 degrees C. Dust the prawns with a thin layer of potato starch, hold each by the tail, dip it into the batter, lift it to let the excess run off, and lower it gently into the oil.
7. Fry until the coating is evenly golden, then lift out and drain. Peel the daikon radish, grate it and squeeze out some of the water.
8. Spoon about 3 to 4 tablespoons of dipping sauce into a small bowl for each serving, add the grated radish, then dip the prawns and eat.

Tips

• Without ready made dashi, mix 180ml water with 1 teaspoon dashi powder.
• Potato starch can be swapped for cornstarch, and mirin for glutinous rice wine with a little kOBE Monk Fruit Blend.
• The batter has to be very cold and fried the moment it is mixed for a light, crisp shell.
• Each round should cover less than half the surface of the oil, since a crowded pan drops the temperature.
• Score the underside of each shrimp and bend the body back straight, or it curls up in the oil.