Yum Yum
Tempura fried shrimp in Romaine cups with Balsamic tomatoes, green onions and cracklins
Tempura Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp Preparation
2 dozen medium sized shrimp, peeled & deveined. Remove tails if desired.
Yum Yum Sauce
1.5 teaspoons rice vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sugar
¾ cup Japanese mayonnaise-use regular mayo if not available
1 tablespoon double concentrated, tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh, minced garlic
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons melted, cooled unsalted butter
Toppings
2-3 small heads of Romaine lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Sliced green onions
Salt & pepper
White Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Tempura
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
¾ cup cold, seltzer water
1 large egg, cold
Corn starch for dredging
Peanut oil for frying (vegetable oil if allergy)
Chopsticks
Food thermometer
Directions
Shrimp Preparation
Optional-Cover the shrimp in salted, cold water and let soak 10-15 minutes to remove any impurities. Rinse several times in cold water, gently squeeze out water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
Yum Yum Sauce
Add the vinegar and sugar to a small mixing bowl and whisk to dissolve. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter and whisk. Whisk in the butter and, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Tempura
While preparing the tempura, start heating your oil for frying. If using a deep fryer, set your temperature to 375 degrees. If using a pot on stove top, add 4-5 cups oil to your pot and heat to 375 over high temperature.
Add the flour, corn starch, salt & pepper to a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the cold
seltzer water and egg and mix with the chopsticks.
Toss the shrimp in corn starch and shake off excess. Using the chopsticks, add 6-8 shrimp to the batter at a time (unless using a deep fryer) and cook in batches until golden brown and crispy. Place on plate or platter lined with paper towel and remove bits of cracklins. Taste as you go to be sure you are cooking them long enough. Drizzle extra batter into the hot oil to crate more cracklings for toppings. Lightly sprinkle with extra salt if desired.
Assembly
Break about 4-5 inch segments of Romaine lettuce and place in a bowl with about 1 cup of sliced grape tomatoes and some sliced green onions. Season with salt & pepper, drizzle lightly with some white balsamic oil vinegar and olive oil and toss. Arrange Romaine cups on a platter, and fill with tempura shrimp dipped in Yum Yum sauce. Top with the tomatoes and green onion and finish with cracklins.