Tempura Squid Food

TEMPURA SQUID

Steps:

• To prepare the squid, reach inside the body and gently release the inners. Carefully pull the tentacles, trying to bring all of the inners away from the body, with the ink sac intact (don't worry if it doesn't stay intact, it just makes for cleaner preparation if it does).
• To prepare the tentacles, cut just above the eyes and halve any long tentacles - keep them whole if they aren't too long. Discard the inners and head.
• Remove the quill from inside the body (reach inside and it will come away easily - it looks like a piece of plastic) and discard.
• With your fingers, remove the wings from either side of the squid's body. Pull off and discard the skin from the wings and body, setting these aside.
• Prepare the body. You will see a line where the quill sat - simply run a sharp knife along that line to open up the body. Score the inside part of the body and slice into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the tentacles, wings and body well, then transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water, ready for cooking.
• To make the dipping sauce, dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and fish sauce. Mix in the chilli, garlic, ginger and nuts, and set aside.
• To make the batter, mix the flours with a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of freshly ground white pepper. Whisk in the sparkling water and crushed ice, then fold in the coriander.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large heavy-based saucepan (no more than half-full) to 180C, or until a piece of bread browns in about 45 secs. Drain the squid, tip into the batter and mix well. Fry in two batches, rubbing the squid gently with your fingers as it enters the hot oil, to separate the pieces. Cook for 2-3 mins until crisp and lightly coloured, then drain on kitchen paper and season.
• Add the coriander to the dipping sauce and pour into a little dish. Pile the squid around it and squeeze over the lime juice.

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.

BLACK SQUID INK TEMPURA FISH AND CHIPS

Steps:

• For the tempura batter: Mix together the all-purpose flour cornstarch rice flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix in the squid ink and add soda water to the desired consistency.
• For the tartar sauce: Mix together the mayonnaise, cornichons, chives, dill, tarragon and lemon juice in a bowl.
• For the fish and chips: Heat the peanut oil in a fryer or large heavy-bottomed saucepan to 325 degrees F.
• Fry the black radish slices, turning them with a slotted spoon, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel and season with salt.
• Bring the peanut oil up to 350 degrees F.
• In batches, dip the cod into the tempura batter. Add to the hot oil and fry, flipping occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the fish is cooked through and the batter is crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove, drain on a towel and season with salt.
• Serve with the tartar sauce and black radish chips on a large platter. Garnish the platter with chopped chives and fresh dill.