Tempura Soba

Name: Tempura Soba
Ingredients: 1 quart vegetable oil, or enough to fill a pot or deep fryer 3 inches deep; 5 cups Hot Soba Broth (page 41); 1 egg; 1 1/4 cups cold water; 2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting; 8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails on; 8 small shiitake mushrooms, stemmed; 4 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed, cut into thirds; 14 ounces dried soba noodles; 2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on an angle

10 ingredients

22 steps

Ingredients

1 quart vegetable oil, or enough to fill a pot or deep fryer 3 inches deep
5 cups Hot Soba Broth (page 41)
1 egg
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails on
8 small shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
4 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed, cut into thirds
14 ounces dried soba noodles
2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on an angle

Directions

1

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed saucepan to 350F.
2

Also fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
3

Heat the broth in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
4

Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.
5

Prepare the tempura batter by beating the egg and water in a bowl.
6

Mix well and then slowly mix in the 2 cups flour until just combined.
7

Be careful not to overmix; you dont want a smooth batter like pancake batter.
8

Instead, you want tiny lumps of flour to remain in the batter.
9

With a sharp knife, make five shallow slits across the underside of each shrimp.
10

Next, flip the shrimp over so their undersides are resting against your cutting board.
11

Now gently press down on the shrimp with your fingers to flatten slightly.
12

This action will stop the shrimp from curling when you cook them, but be careful not to press too hard because the shrimp could break into pieces.
13

Dip the shrimp, mushrooms, and asparagus into the tempura batter, and carefully place in the hot oil.
14

Cook the vegetables for about 3 minutes and the shrimp for 1 minute longer.
15

When you notice the bubbles that appear on the surface of the oil getting smaller and decreasing, and see the ingredients float to the top, youll know theyre done.
16

The color of the tempura will be a light golden brownmake sure the tempura doesnt overcook and turn dark brown.
17

Transfer the ingredients from the oil and rest on a paper towellined tray to absorb any extra oil.
18

Add the soba noodles to the pot of boiling water, stirring with a fork or chopsticks to make sure the noodles dont stick together.
19

Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the noodles are just cooked through but still al dente.
20

Drain well.
21

To serve, divide the soba noodles among 4 soup bowls, add the broth, and garnish with the scallions.
22

Serve the tempura on a separate plate.