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Celery Root Tempura With or Without Shrimp

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

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Ingredients

  • Ice cubes
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • Salt
  • 2 pounds celery root
  • 8 or 12 extra-large peeled shrimp (optional)
  • Good-quality vegetable oil for deep-frying
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Wasabi powder or dry mustard, to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine 2 cups cold water and 1 or 2 cups ice in a large bowl and let it sit for a minute.
    Separate 3 eggs; put the yolks in another large bowl; discard the whites or save for another use.
  2. Measure out 2 cups of the ice water (without the ice) and add it to the yolks along with 1 1/2 cups flour and a big pinch of salt. Beat the mixture lightly; the batter should be lumpy and very thin.
  3. Trim and peel the celery root; cut it into thin disks or sticks (not so big that you can’t eat a piece in a few bites).
    If you’re using shrimp, rinse with cold water, then pat them dry with towels.
  4. Put at least 2 inches vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat (you want the oil to get to 350°F).
  5. Whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and a pinch of wasabi to taste.
  6. Put 1 cup flour in a shallow bowl for dredging.
    Line a plate with towels.
  7. When a pinch of flour sizzles in the oil but doesn’t burn, begin coating pieces of celery root and shrimp in the flour, then dipping them in the batter. Fry in batches, adjusting the heat to maintain the oil temperature and turning once if necessary, until each piece is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. As they finish, transfer the tempura to the towels to drain; sprinkle with salt if you like. Serve right away with the sauce. Continue frying and eating as you go until there’s nothing left.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Sweet Potato Tempura With or Without Shrimp Substitute 2 large sweet potatoes (any color or type) for the celery root.

Kohlrabi Tempura With or Without Shrimp The mild cabbage flavor is delicious with this dipping sauce. Substitute 1 1/2 pounds kohlrabi for the celery root.

Chips and Fish Instead of the celery root, use either 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes. Instead of the shrimp, cut 1 pound firm white fish (like cod, catfish, or halibut) into big pieces; it will take a couple minutes more than the shrimp to crisp and cook through. Add chopped dill pickles and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the sauce to make a Japanese-style tartar sauce.