Tenmusu (shrimp tempura onigiri)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Rice1½ cups, cookingStep 1

2. 

   Shrimp12 medium, shell onStep 2

3. 

   Starch1 tbsp, for cleaningStep 3

4. 

   Batter

   • cake flour
   • starch
   • ice water
   • vinegar
   • sake

   Step 5

5. 

   Mentsuyu2 tbspStep 7

6. 

   Hand water + saltsmall bowl · a pinchStep 8

7. 

   Nori3 sheets → 12 stripsStep 11

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

The tempura is made while the rice cooks. Shape while the rice is still warm — cool enough to hold, never cold from the fridge.

Step by step

1. Rice

2. 

   1Cook the rice

   ~45 min

   For this step

   • Japanese short-grain white rice1½ cups (300 g)
   • Water (for the rice)1⅔ cups (400 ml)

   • Cook the rice in the water — rice cooker or pot (see onigiri). 1½ cups of uncooked rice makes about 660 g of cooked rice: 12 tenmusu.
   • While it cooks, make the tempura (steps 2–7).

3. Shrimp tempura

4. 

   

   2Peel and devein the shrimp

   ~10 min

   For this step

   • Medium shrimp, shell on12

   • Peel off the shells — easiest starting from the third segment — but leave the tail on (see notes).
   • Run a skewer under the dark vein along the back and lift it out.

   

5. 

   

   3Rub with starch, rinse, dry

   ~5 min

   For this step

   • Potato starch or cornstarch (to clean the shrimp)1 tbsp

   • Shrimp in a bowl with the starch and a little water; rub them with your hands — a common Japanese trick that makes them plumper.
   • Pour off the grey water, rinse a couple of times under cold running water, drain and pat dry with paper towels.

   

6. 

   4Heat the oil

   medium~8 min

   For this step

   • Neutral oil (for deep-frying)2 cups (480 ml)

   Heat the oil to 170–180 °C in a small, deep pot — small enough that 2 cups are deep enough to fry in.

7. 

   

   5Make the batter

   ~4 min

   For this step

   • Cake flour½ cup
   • Potato starch or cornstarch (batter)1 tbsp

   • Sift the cake flour and starch through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl — it makes the batter lighter and crisper.
   • Add:
     • ice water ⅓ cup (80 ml)
     • rice vinegar (unseasoned) 1 tbsp
     • sake ½ tbsp
   • Mix only briefly: lumps are fine. It should be thick, like fritter batter — thick batter soaks up more sauce later. Too thick? 1 tbsp ice water at a time. Keep it cold.

   

8. 

   

   6Fry

   medium~10 min

   • Check the oil: a chopstick dipped in it should get a ring of small bubbles.
   • Hold a shrimp by the tail, coat it in batter (the tail stays bare) and lower it in. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. A few at a time — don’t crowd the pot.
   • Drain on a wire rack. Skim the loose crumbs out of the oil between batches before they burn.

   

9. 

   7Dip in mentsuyu

   ~3 min

   For this step

   • Mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base)2 tbsp

   • Pour the mentsuyu into a small bowl.
   • Dip both sides of each tempura in it and put it back on the rack.

   

10. Tenmusu

11. 

    8Warm rice, wet and salted hands

    ~5 min

    For this step

    • Water (for your hands)a small bowl
    • Diamond Crystal kosher salta little

    • Turn the hot rice into a large bowl to cool a little: warm, cool enough to hold.
    • Set out a small bowl of water and a little salt. Wet your hands and rub a pinch of salt over your palms — for flavour, and it helps the rice balls keep.

    

12. 

    

    9Rice, well, shrimp

    ~1 min each

    • Scoop about one rice paddle of rice (~55 g) into your left palm.
    • Press a small well into the middle and lay one tempura in it, tail up, so the tail will stick out of the top.
    • Give it one quick, gentle squeeze to bring it together — like making a snowball.

    

13. 

    10Shape the triangle

    • Bend your right hand into a “roof” over the top and press gently with the fingers and the heel of the hand, turning the ball to make three corners — the tail comes out of the top corner.
    • Never squeeze hard: it should hold together, not be packed.

    

14. 

    

    11Wrap in a nori kimono

    ~10 min

    For this step

    • Nori3 sheets

    • Cut each nori sheet into 4 strips (12 strips).
    • Lay a strip rough side up (the shiny side ends up outside) and set a tenmusu on its middle.
    • Fold both ends up and in toward the centre of the front so they cross like a kimono collar — a V-neck under the tail.

    

15. 

    12Serve

    • Eat right away, or within a few hours — wrapped in plastic and then a thick kitchen towel.
    • Don’t refrigerate: the rice turns hard.