Shrimp Tempura Udon Noodle Soup (Ebiten Udon)

Sift 75 g cake flour and 15 g cornstarch into a mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator along with a jug of 75 ml cold water and an unopened bottle of sparkling water. Chill for 30 minutes.

First, deshell 8 black tiger shrimp, leave the tail on and remove the veins.

Place the shrimp in a bowl with 2 pinches salt and 1 tsp cornstarch and rub it over the surface. The salt is to dehydrate them so they fry better and the corn starch helps clean them out.

After a few minutes have passed, rinse the salt and cornstarch off the shrimp under cold running water and dry them with kitchen paper.

Place a shrimp on a chopping board on its side with the tail folded in half and trim it diagonally. The pointy tip should be cut off and be the shorter part of the diagonal. (This stops oil from splattering out when it's frying and it looks nicer too.)

Turn the shrimp so the belly is facing up and make shallow diagonal incisions along the whole body. The incisions should be about 1cm apart and go about 1/2 way through the prawn. You should be able to lay them out flat and straight.

Preheat your cooking oil to 180 °C (356 °F).

Take the 75 ml cold water and pour it into a bowl along with 50 ml carbonated water. Add ½ tbsp Japanese mayonnaise to the water (or half a whisked egg) and mix until incorporated.

Take the 75 g cake flour and 15 g cornstarch from the fridge and add it to the bowl of water one-third at a time. Mix roughly between each addition. (It's fine if it still has lumps.)

Test your oil by adding a drop of batter, if it floats and sizzles it's ready to start cooking. (Don't dip the shrimp in the tempura batter until the oil is ready). Once hot, dry your shrimp with kitchen paper and then lightly coat them in all-purpose flour or potato starch. Dust off any excess.

Dip the shrimp in the batter and then place them in the oil one by one. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. (I recommend keeping the batter in the fridge between batches.)

Fry for about 2 minutes or once the batter puffs up and becomes crispy. Remove the tempura from the pot before they become golden and place them on a wire rack to allow the excess oil to drop off.

Boil 4 portions udon noodles in a separate pot, follow the instructions on the packaging. Once the udon noodles are ready, pour them into a colander and then rinse them under hot water to remove any excess starch.

Bring 1 liter dashi stock to a boil and then add 75 ml Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 2 tbsp mirin. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add ½ tsp salt and mix.

Divide them into serving bowls and pour the broth over the top.

Place the tempura on top of the noodles and then garnish with finely chopped green onions and kamaboko fish cake. For an added kick, sprinkle with Japanese chili powder.

Enjoy!