To cook this Tempura, I have been looking for Japanese Sweet Potatoes for a long time. Yesterday, I finally found Sweet Potatoes very similar to Japanese Sweet Potatoes at a Korean grocery store. They were small and harder, but the skin was same colour, and I bought a few. Today I cooked this Tempura for the first time in many years. The Sweet Potatoes that I bought lacked sweetness, but they were good enough for me.

Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

300g Japanese Sweet Potato(es)
Oil for frying
Salt OR ‘Tentsuyu’ (Tempura Dipping Sauce) to serve

Tempura Batter
3 tablespoons Plain Flour
1 tablespoon Potato Starch
*OR 4 tablespoon Tempura Flour Mix
1 pinch Salt
4 tablespoons Cold Water

Method
  1. Tempura Batter can be made without Tempura Batter Mix. Equal volume of Cold Water (Egg is often added) and Plain Flour (Potato Starch is often added) will be mixed lightly to make the batter. For a small amount, you don’t need to add Egg.
  2. Heat 4-5cm deep Oil in a saucepan to 160 to 170℃. *Note: Oil shouldn’t be too hot because it take 5 to 10 minutes to cook.
  3. Wash Sweet Potato(es), trim the ends, and cut into 1cm thick rounds. It’s your choice to cut it diagonally. Add them to the Tempura Batter, and coat.
  4. Fry Sweet Potato pieces in batches. It would take 5 to 10 minutes. Use a bamboo skewer to check if they are cooked. When cooked, transfer to a wire rack OR a plate lined with paper towel.
  5. Serve with Salt OR ‘Tentsuyu’ (Tempura Dipping Sauce). My grandfather used to enjoy them with Japanese Worcestershire Sauce.