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–+ servings

Lotus Root Tempura (Renkon no Tempura)

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 500 g lotus root (renkon)
  • cooking oil neutral flavor for deep frying
  • cake flour or starch for dusting

Tempura Batter (see note)

  • 75 ml cold water chilled
  • 50 ml carbonated water chilled
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 15 g cornstarch
  • 75 g cake flour
  • ice cubes

Serving suggestion (optional)

  • salt
  • tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu)

Instructions 

  • Before starting this recipe, chill all of the tempura batter ingredients including the dry ingredients. I usually chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
    Still water in a jug and sparkling water in a sealed bottle
  • Once all of your ingredients are thoroughly chilled, start heating your cooking oil to 175 °C (347 °F).
    heating oil in a pot to make tempura
  • While you wait, add 75 ml cold water, 50 ml carbonated water and 1 egg yolk to a mixing bowl and whisk gently until combined. Try not to let it get too foamy.
    whisking egg yolk and chilled water in a bowl to make tempura batter
  • Sift 15 g cornstarch and 75 g cake flour together into a bowl, then add it to the egg mixture in 3 batches. Rather than whisking, use chopsticks to draw crosses in the mixture until there is no more dry flour. Lumps are perfectly okay, avoid overmixing.
    egg, water and flour in a bowl, drawing crosses in the mixture with chopsticks to make tempura batter
  • If you are going to make a lot of tempura or are cooking in a warm environment, add a few ice cubes to the batter and place it in the fridge between batches.
    tempura batter in a bowl with ice cubes
  • Scrub the surface of 500 g lotus root (renkon) to remove the dirt before peeling off the skin with a vegetable peeler or knife. If you bought your renkon already peeled and stored in water, drain the water and dry the surface.
    Peeling washed renkon (lotus root) on a wooden chopping board on white background
  • Cut into slices about 5-10mm thick (approx ¼ inch), then pat the surface dry with kitchen paper. (If preparing in advance or your oil isn't ready, keep them in a bowl of water with a splash of vinegar to prevent discoloration.)
    Cutting thick slices of renkon (lotus root) on a wooden chopping board on white background
  • Coat each slice with a thin layer of cake flour and tap off the excess. Use chopsticks to remove flour from the holes.
    coating thick slices of renkon with flour
  • Dip the floured renkon slices into the tempura batter and place them straight in the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden.
    Tempura battered renkon (lotus root) being placed in pot of oil
  • Transfer to a wire rack to drain the excess oil for 1-2 minutes, then serve immediately with salt or tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu). Enjoy!
    renkon no tempura (lotus root) draining on a wire rack

Notes

  • Renkon discolors quickly once peeled and cut. To avoid discoloration, peel and cut right before frying or soak it in water with a splash of vinegar.
  • This recipe is likely to have leftover tempura batter. Leftovers can be used for other ingredients such as shrimp, eggplant, sweet potato etc. You can also make your own tenkasu (tempura flakes) to serve with udon and soba.
  • For best results, fry other ingredients in separate batches of the same ingredients.
  • The egg yolk can be replaced with 2 tsp of egg mayonnaise (this is convenient if you want to half the recipe and use 1 tsp mayonnaise instead of half an egg yolk).
  • If you're looking for an eggless tempura batter, check out my shojin age recipe.
  • Serve Perilla Leaf Tempura with tempura rice bowl (tendon), kake udon or zaru soba.