Prawn Tempura with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 600g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 80g plain flour
• 40g cornflour
• 200ml ice-cold sparkling water
• sunflower oil, for deep frying
• 60ml rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped (seeds in for heat, out for mild)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 60ml water
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 60g caster sugar
• 200g frozen edamame beans
• 300g jasmine rice
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced into rings, to serve
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve
• 2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• Edamame beans, warmed and lightly seasoned with sea salt, to serve
• Quick cucumber pickle (thinly sliced cucumber with rice wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar), to serve

Method

1. Cook the jasmine rice according to packet instructions, then keep warm with the lid on.
2. Make the dipping sauce: combine the sugar, rice wine vinegar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the chilli, garlic and fish sauce, then whisk in the cornflour and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens to a light syrup that coats the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Pour sunflower oil into a large, deep saucepan to a depth of 6–7cm and heat over a medium-high heat until it reaches 180°C — a small drop of batter should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately.
4. While the oil heats, make the batter: whisk the plain flour and cornflour together in a bowl, then pour in the ice-cold sparkling water and stir briefly with chopsticks or a fork. The batter should be lumpy and thin, not smooth — overworking it will give you heavy, greasy tempura.
5. Pat the prawns thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, then dip each one into the batter, letting any excess drip off.
6. Fry the prawns in batches of 6–8 for 2–3 minutes until pale golden, lacy and crisp — do not overcrowd the pan or the oil temperature will drop. Drain on a wire rack and keep warm while you fry the rest.
7. While the prawns fry, tip the frozen edamame into a small pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain, toss with the sesame oil and season well with sea salt.
8. Divide the jasmine rice between four bowls and spoon the edamame alongside.
9. Pile the prawn tempura over the rice and pour the dipping sauce into small bowls on the side.
10. Scatter sliced spring onions, red chilli rings and toasted sesame seeds over the prawns, lay the cucumber pickle alongside, and squeeze a wedge of lime over everything just before serving.