shrimp tempura bowls;
In case anyone doesn’t know by now, I love all things Japanese. I studied Japanese in a few summer programs in high school, it was one of my majors in college, I studied abroad in Japan for a semester, and last year got to take my husband for his first visit! You know, in case the four blog posts I did around our trip didn’t clue you in. (You can check them out here :). Nothing is ever the same as being in the country experiencing the food and their aesthetic and unique flavors in person, but I do love a good home recipe that lets me relive some of the deliciousness and good memories.
These tempura bowls are light and fresh but filling. And of course, delicious! But since it’s a bowl, it’s not quite so intimidating as sushi, which I still have yet to try myself in my kitchen. The key is, of course, fresh ingredients, and it can also be more approachable since the shrimp are cooked.
Another bonus to bowls is that you can assemble each slightly differently without much added effort — e.g., throw some seaweed in one, but leave it out for a picky eater. You can even put the ingredients in separate serving bowls and let each person build their own bowl!
If you have extra shrimp left over, I definitely recommend keeping them separate and using a toaster oven or traditional oven to regain at least some crispness. A microwave really won’t do fried shrimp justice. Or, if you’ve ended up with too many bowl fillings and not enough shrimp, check out Trader Joe’s frozen Tempura Cauliflower! A nice quick replacement or supplement if you’re looking for an easy weeknight win!
Ingredients
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam
- 1 tsp sriracha
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp water
Jasmine Rice
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 4 scallions
- ½ cup jasmine rice
- ¾ cup water
- pinch of salt
Pickled Cucumber
- 1 persian cucumber or small cucumber
- 5 tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp sugar pinch of salt
Avocado Topping
- 1 avocado
- 1 small lemon
- pinch of salt
Tempura Shrimp
- 10 oz shrimp
- pinch of salt
- 6.5 oz cold water
- 1 egg
- 8 oz oil for frying
- sesame seeds for serving
- chili flakes for serving
Instructions
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, jam, sriracha, garlic powder, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp water. Set aside.
Jasmine Rice
- Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Chop scallions, and set aside greens. Add whites to the pot and cook 1 min.
- Add jasmine rice, ¾ cup water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and simmer 15-18 minutes. Remove from the heat, and leave cover on to keep warm until ready to serve.
Pickled Cucumber
- Wash, trim, peel, and halve cucumber lengthwise. Thinly slice crosswise into halfmoons. In a medium bowl combine cucumber, vinegar, ½ tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt and toss together. Set aside.
Avocado Topping
- Remove pit from avocado, then dice and toss in a small bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Tempura Shrimp
- Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Season with salt. Combine egg, flour, and cold water in a bowl, then add shrimp and toss until fully coated.
- Heat ¼ inch layer of oil in a pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, fry shrimp 2-3 minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add rice, avocado, pickled cucumber, and tempura shrimp to a bowl. Top with sauce. scallion greens, sesame seeds, and chili flakes to taste.
