To kill the lobsters take a sharp knife, place it at the crown of the head, and
cut straight down – this will kill them straight away. Twist off the tail and
both claws. Cut the tail in half lengthways and each tail half into 3. Chop the
claws into 3, slice up the remaining body meat, and place, with the tail pieces,
in a bowl with any juice that comes out.
Mix the dipping sauce
ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
I suggest you use a
deep-fat fryer as it’s easier to control. Heat it to 170°C/325°F. You can use a
wok half-filled with oil, safely positioned on a stove with a thermometer, but
be aware of other people (curious kids) and of possibly knocking things over if
doing it this way. To make the batter, whisk the egg yolks and iced water
together, add the cornflour and flour, and stir together using chopsticks – this
helps to keep the batter a bit lumpy, which is what you want. Add the okra,
chillies and lobster to the batter. Feel free to add any other veggies you
fancy. Fine slices of sweet potato, whole spring onions, coriander stalks and
baby courgettes with their flowers are all good. Once battered, pick up the
lobster and veg and carefully put them into the oil.
Don’t try to cook
the tempura all at once – do them in 2 batches. Cook them until light golden and
crisp on both sides. Drain them on some kitchen paper and then put them on to a
plate. Serve the tempura with the dipping sauce and a dish of flavoured salt – I
would suggest either jasmine tea salt or citrus salt.
Try this: I once
worked in a Japanese restaurant and when the chefs put the veg into the oil,
they dripped extra batter from a height on to them. This gave the tempura a
really crunchy, spiky look and feel. You don’t have to do this but it’s a good
little trick.