Crispy tempura shrimp with sweet-and-sour dipping sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g raw tiger prawns, peeled and cleaned
• 120 g rice flour
• 40 g flour
• 180 ml ice-cold sparkling water
• Sunflower oil, enough for deep-frying
• Pinch of salt
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• For the dipping sauce: 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• Pinch of chili flakes to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dipping sauce: mix rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and chili flakes in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves and set the sauce aside.Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Lightly season them with salt and keep them in the fridge until ready to use.Make the tempura batter: combine the rice flour and the flour in a bowl. Add the ice-cold sparkling water and stir briefly. The batter can be lumpy — that's actually good for the airy texture.Fill the deep fryer with sunflower oil and heat the oil to 180 degrees. Use a kitchen thermometer to check the correct temperature.Dip the shrimp in the batter and let the excess batter drip off. Carefully place them in the fryer basket and slowly lower the basket into the hot oil.Fry the shrimp in batches of four to five pieces, about 2 to 3 minutes, until the batter is pale golden and crisp. Gently shake the basket halfway through.Let the shrimp drain briefly on paper towels. Serve immediately with the sweet-and-sour dipping sauce and garnish with finely sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.