Tempura Donburi

 Ingredients

    Main Ingredients    
                           
    2 cups     steamed white or brown rice    
    2/3 quart canola or vegetable oil    
    Tempura    
                           
    8 pieces large shrimps    
    2 pieces Okura    
    2 pieces Shiitake mushrooms    
    3 tablespoons water    
    Tempura batter    
                           
    1 cup Tempura flour or cake flour    
    1/2 cup water    
    1 large egg    
    Condiments    
                           
    10 tablespoons Temtsuyu (Tempura dipping sauce)    
    2 cups Miso soup    
    some pickles

Recipe

Tempura    
Peel off shrimp skin, slit along spine with about 2/3 inch in depth, slightly open the slit, and remove a black dorsal vein.    
Make several cuts lengthwise with Okura. These cuts will prevent from burst while frying.    
Remove Shiitake stem and slit a cross at the top.    
Tempura batter    
Prepare a small bowl.    
In the bowl, bring an egg, remove chalaza and then whisk. Don't skip the chalaza removal process for a better tasting result. Use chopsticks for removal.    
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the whisked egg into another small bowl to smooth it out removing the remaining of egg and chalaza, and set aside. You may need to use a spoon to beat out whisked egg through strainer.    
In a medium size bowl, bring Tempura flour, water and the whisked egg.    
Frying Tempura    
Prepare a large deep skillet. Heat 3.5 inch deep oil to 340 degrees F.    
Bring shrimps in the prepared Tempura batter, put batter around shrimps, and bring the all shrimps quickly into the skillet one at a time.    
Fry shrimps for about 7 minutes or until the surface gets light brown. Bring shrimps on paper towel draining oil off.    
Bring Okura and Shiitake in the prepared Tempura batter, put batter around them, and bring them quickly into the skillet one at a time.    
Fry Okura and Shiitake for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the surface gets light brown. Bring them on paper towel draining oil off.    
Finishing    
Bring half the prepared steamed rice into each of two large bowls.    
Pour 2 tablespoons of Tentsuyu all over the steamed rice in each bowl.    
Place the cooked shrimp, Okura and Shiitake on top of the steamed rice. Pour 3 tablespoons of Temtsuyu all over the cooked Tempura in each bowl.    
Serve with Miso soup and pickled ginger, if desired.