Tenmusu (Rice Balls with Shrimp Tempura)
Japanese rice balls (onigiri) stuffed with shrimp tempura that has been dipped in tempura sauce, wrapped in nori. Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook.
Ingredients
| 360 ml | uncooked Japanese short grain rice | |
| — | water (for cooking rice) | |
| 12 pieces | shrimp tempura (recipe follows) | |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | mentsuyu (noodle soup base) |
| — | water (for your hands) | |
| — | Kosher salt (for your hands) | |
| 3 sheets | nori (seaweed) | |
| 12 | medium shrimp | |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | potato/corn starch (for cleaning shrimp) |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | neutral flavor oil (for deep frying) |
| 65 g | cake flour | |
| 12 g | potato/corn starch | |
| 80 ml | ice water | |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | rice vinegar |
| 1/2 Tbsp | 7.5 ml | sake |
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to your rice cooker's instructions (or on the stovetop).
Shrimp tempura: 2. Peel and devein the shrimp. Place in a bowl with 1 Tbsp potato/corn starch and a little water, rub with your hands, then discard the dirty water and rinse under cold running water. Drain and pat dry. 3. Heat 2 cups oil to 340-350F (170-180C). 4. Sift the cake flour and 1 Tbsp starch. Add the ice water, rice vinegar and sake and mix without over-mixing; leave some lumps and keep the batter thick and cold. 5. Coat the shrimp in batter and deep fry until golden, about 2 minutes for medium shrimp; don't crowd the oil. Drain on a rack, removing crumbs between batches. 6. Dip both sides of each fried shrimp in 2 Tbsp mentsuyu and set back on the rack.
Tenmusu: 7. Transfer the hot rice to a large bowl to cool to warm. Prepare a small bowl of water and a plate of salt; wet your hands and rub with a little salt. 8. Scoop about one rice paddle of rice into your hand, make a well in the center and place one shrimp in it (tail down or up). Give one gentle squeeze to hold everything together. 9. Shape into a triangle, gently pressing with your fingers and palm - never squeeze too tightly. 10. Cut each nori sheet into 4 strips (rough side up against the rice) and wrap both sides toward the center, folding at the bottom so it looks like the rice ball is wearing a kimono. 11. (Alternative) Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, add salted rice, make a well, add the shrimp, gather the wrap, shape into a triangle, then unwrap and add nori.
For crispy nori, keep the nori separate and wrap just before eating.