How to make prawn tempura

Trust us when we say tempura is a tricky dish to master. Introduced to Japan in the sixteenth century by Portuguese traders, the method has evolved into a highly precise process. Luckily, we spoke to chef Kanji Furukawa at Toku restaurant toku-restaurant.co.uk, on how to make it.

Ingredients

• Prawns to tempura (or this time of year mushrooms and pumpkin are in season and work very well, Japancentre.com sells a great variety of Japanese mushrooms if you want to make it really authentic)

• 1 cup ice cold water

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1/8 tsp baking soda

• Cooking oil

Method

1. In a medium bowl, mix the water and the egg.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking soda.

3. Stir the flour mix into the egg mix.

4. Stick the batter in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.

5. Heat the oil in a frying pan. The oil should be hot enough that when you drip batter in it, the drops come to the top immediately.

6. Dip the prawns (or vegetables) into the batter then drop them into the hot oil- turning until browned.

7. Place the fried ingredients on a paper towel to drain. Serve immediately.