Beer-Batter Tempura with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups beer (not dark)
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 12 large shrimp
• shelled and deveined
• 2 small sweet potatoes
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 2 small red bell peppers
• cut into 3/4-inch-thick rings
• 12 asparagus spears
• trimmed
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger

Instructions

1. In a bowl whisk beer into flour until smooth and stir in salt.
2. Make several shallow cuts across the inside curve of each shrimp and press shrimp gently ( to help prevent curling during the cooking).
3. Peel sweet potato and cut cross-wise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
4. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees.
5. Working in batches of 3 or 4 pieces, dredge shrimp, sweet potato slices, bell pepper rings and asparagus spears in batter to coat completely, letting excess drip off and fry, turning, until golden, about 3 minutes.
6. Transfer tempura as fried to brown paper with tongs to drain and season with salt.
7. Serve with dipping sauce (recipe follows).
8. In a saucepan heat soy sauce, sugar and ginger until sugar dissolves, add rice vinegar and scallions.
9. Yield: about 1/2 cup