Tendon (Rice Bowl with Kakiage, Vegetable, and Fish Tempura)

Check the ingredients for this lesson. In addition to the vegetables and fish used in the previous two lessons, prepare shrimp, and turn them into a tendon.

Devein the shrimp, make incisions along the belly side, and straighten them out. Sever the tendons so they do not curl when fried.

Cut the vegetables for the kakiage. First cut them into larger pieces, keeping the thickness even so they cook through easily.

Chop the remaining vegetables finely. Cut them into uniform thin strips so they hold together in the kakiage.

Combine the egg and cold water, then add the cake flour to make the batter. Do not overmix, or it will become sticky; stop while a little floury texture still remains.

Bring the frying oil to the right temperature. Managing the temperature properly is the single most important point for avoiding failure.

Coat the shrimp in batter, lower them into the oil, and fry. Once they are in, do not fuss with them; wait for the batter to set.

Coat the white-fleshed fish in batter and fry it as well. Since it is larger than the shrimp, adjust the frying time while watching how it cooks through.

Make the tentsuyu. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a pot and bring to a boil.

Coat the chopped vegetables in batter, drop them into the oil in a single mound, and fry the kakiage. Lower it in gently so it does not fall apart, and wait until it sets.

Dip the fried tempura in the tentsuyu to coat it with flavor. Letting it soak up the sauce brings out the taste of the whole bowl.

Serve the warm rice in a donburi bowl, top with the shrimp, fish, and vegetable tempura and the kakiage, and it is done. Drizzle the remaining tentsuyu over the top.