ebi tempura

Shrimp tempura uses a chilled batter of flour, egg and water, mixed lightly rather than beaten until smooth. The shrimp are peeled and deveined, with shallow cuts along the belly to help them remain straight. They are fried and served with tentsuyu dipping sauce, or placed on rice bowls and noodle soups.^[1]

Some preparations add extra crisp batter through hanaage, a technique whose name refers to batter blooming like a flower in hot oil. It is particularly associated with tempura used on noodles or rice bowls. Namiko Hirasawa Chen notes that specialist tempura restaurants generally avoid this extra coating to emphasise the shrimp’s flavour.^[1]