Tempura cod with Japanese sweet potato wedges
A witty take on that great British favourite, fish and chips, inspired by the cuisine of Japan. You could substitute the cod for other firm, white fish.
Ingredients
- For the tartare sauce
- ½ small daikon radish, peeled and diced
- 175ml/6fl oz good-quality mayonnaise
- 100g/3½oz pickled ginger
- 1 tsp dried ginger
- For the tsuyu sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp pure yuzu juice
- ½ tbsp umeboshi juice
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp dashi powder or 4 tsp dashi concentrate
- For the cod
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 375g/13oz plain flour
- 500ml/18fl oz sparkling water
- 2 medium free-range eggs
- 750g/1lb 10oz skinless cod fillet, cut into bite-sized chunks
- For the sweet potato wedges
- 3 large purple Japanese sweet potatoes, washed and cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- To garnish
- ½ small daikon radish, peeled, finely grated and squeezed to remove excess liquid
Preparation method
- For the tartare sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, transfer to the fridge and chill until needed.
- Combine the ingredients for the tsuyu sauce in a small bowl, divide between four dipping bowls and set aside until serving.
- Rub the sweet potato wedges with salt and allow to rest while you cook the cod.
- For the cod, pour about 8cm/3in vegetable oil into a deep-fat fryer or a deep saucepan pan and heat to 180C/350F. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
- In a large bowl, loosely mix 250g/9oz of the flour with the sparkling water and eggs. Put the rest of the flour in a separate bowl. Dredge the cod chunks in the flour, dip into the batter and fry in batches for about three minutes, or until crisp. Drain on a wire rack to prevent the batter from becoming soggy.
- Increase the heat of the oil to 190C/375F. To finish the sweet potatoes, roughly grind the black sesame seeds and salt in a pestle and mortar. Deep-fry the potato wedges in batches until crisp and golden-brown, then drain on kitchen paper and season with the sesame seed salt while still hot.
- Serve the fish and chips on paper with a mound of grated daikon and the tsuyu and tartare sauces alongside.