Tempura Avocado Food

TEMPURA AVOCADO WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan heat 3 tablespoons oil. Add the red onion, ginger, and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Then add the shrimp, cook for 2 minutes, and then add the bok choy, cabbage, bell peppers. Cook for another 5 minutes to wilt. Deglaze with mirin. Toss in sesame oil, soy sauce, black pepper, salt and green onions. Let mixture cool in a bowl.
• Preheat Dutch oven with oil to 350 degrees F. Mix tempura batter with ice cold water. (pancake batter consistency)
• Hollow out 2 tablespoons of avocado from center, add 1/8th of cooled shrimp mixture to cavity of avocado, mixture should sit in avocado securely with only 1/2 to 1/4 of mixture standing out of avocado. Firmly press the mixture into the avocado. Holding the avocado with shrimp mixture, dip entire unit into batter and gently lower into the oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. When cooked, remove and let drain on paper towels, serve hot.
• Drizzle with sweet chili sauce, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

TEMPURA FRIED AVOCADO BITES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep pan. Combine the flour, egg, cornstarch, club soda, ice water and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
• Dip the avocado pieces in the batter, then drop gently into the hot oil. Fry the avocado pieces until they are crispy.
• Remove and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Follow these instructions to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry and make sure the moisture is completely removed from the shrimp.
• Cut all the vegetables (except the eggplant) ¼-inch thick. For the eggplant, cut off and discard the stem and calyx, then cut it in half lengthwise. With the cut side flat on the cutting board, cut the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (about ⅛ inch or 3 mm), being careful to leave the bottom tip intact by 1 inch (2.5 cm) so the slices stay connected. Then, gently press down on the slices to fan them out. Repeat with the other eggplant half.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of the oil to 350°F (180°C).
• While the oil is heating up, start preparing the tempura batter. Add the egg and the iced water into a 2-cup measuring cup (or any bowl). Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten.
• Check the oil temperature with a thermometer to make sure the oil is 350°F (180°C). You can also use wooden chopsticks to check; when you dip your chopsticks in the oil and see small bubbles forming, it's ready for deep-frying. Please note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature (320ºF/160℃). If you want to read more deep-frying tips, please read this post.
• Deep-fry starting with the cleaner and less astringent ingredients. For example, the cooking order would be shiso first, followed by the mushrooms, eggplant, shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kabocha. Make sure your ingredients are dry before dipping them in the batter; if they're wet, dry them with a paper towel first. While the tempura is frying, the moisture from the ingredients will evaporate and the tempura will become crispy. However, if the ingredients have extra moisture, the tempura will become soggy after deep-frying.
• When the oil reaches the right temperature, dip one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue dipping and adding one piece at a time. For the shrimp, sprinkle some flour or potato starch (or cornstarch) over it before dipping to help the tempura batter adhere. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle a bit of sifted flour on the back of the leaf, dip only the back of the leaf into the batter, and deep-fry for 15 seconds. The flour acts as a glue and the batter tends to stay on the ingredients better.
• Deep-fry the ingredients until golden brown. Do not crowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop quickly. Remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. Here's the rough cooking time for each of the ingredients: Shiso (350ºF/180ºC, 20-30 seconds), mushrooms (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), eggplant (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), shrimp (350ºF/180ºC, 2 minutes), sweet potatoes (320ºF/160℃, 3 mins), and kabocha (320ºF/160℃, 2-3 mins). Note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature than the rest of the tempura ingredients.
• Transfer the tempura to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Between batches, clean the oil by scooping up the crumbs (called tenkasu), which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot.
• Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out. Prepare 3-4 Tbsp of warm tentsuyu in individual small bowls and serve the grated daikon on the side.
• Put 1 Tbsp of the grated daikon in the sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
• You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. Reheat the tempura at 350ºF (180ºC) in the oven until warm and crisp.

TEMPURA AVOCADO.

Steps:

• Prepare the tempura batter right before you are ready to fry.
• The avocados should be peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices.
• To make the batter, mix the flour, egg, and cold water together until all of the ingredients have combined.
• Dip each avocado piece into the batter and fry until golden, approximately 1 minute.
• Remove the fried avocado pieces and season.

SEARED TUNA WITH TEMPURA AVOCADO AND WASABI SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat a fryer to 360 degrees F. Begin by mixing the cumin and pepper in a small bowl. Dip and coat each tuna steak in the cumin mixture. In a hot skillet coated with oil, sear each tuna steak for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. The tuna should still be pink.
• In a hot wok or skillet, saute the diced pineapple and red bell pepper for 2 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
• Prepare the tempura batter right before you are ready to fry. The avocados should be peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices. To make the batter, mix the flour, egg, and cold water together until all of the ingredients have combined. Dip each avocado piece into the batter and fry until golden, approximately 1 minute. Remove the fried avocado pieces and season.
• To make the wasabi sauce, combine the wasabi paste and heavy cream in a small saucepot. Bring the sauce to a boil and let reduce. Once the sauce has reduced you are ready to serve.
• To serve this dish, place the avocado tempura in the center of each plate. Top with tuna and surround with the seaweed. Add a spoonful of the pineapple and peppers, and drizzle some of the wasabi sauce around the plate.