Tendon (Tempura Shrimp Rice Bowl)
Crisp, airy tempura shrimp and vegetables set over hot rice, with warm tentsuyu sauce poured on just before eating so the batter stays crackly while the edges soak up all that sweet-savoury flavour.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the tentsuyu sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the , soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes so the flavors blend, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
- 200 ml stock
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 60 ml
- 1 tbsp sugar
✅ Done when: sauce is hot and slightly fragrant
Prepare shrimp and vegetables
Score each shrimp with 3–4 shallow cuts along the belly and press gently to straighten it so it won't curl in the oil. Pat the shrimp, vegetables and leaves completely dry with paper towels, then dust everything very lightly with flour so the batter has something to grip.
- 8 large shrimp
- 1 small (150 g) sweet potato
- 150 g squash
- 4 green beans or shishito peppers
- 4 leaves
- about 1 tbsp (extra) flour, for dusting
✅ Done when: all pieces are dry and lightly dusted with flour
Mix a cold, lumpy batter
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Fry the vegetables
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Fry the shrimp
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Assemble the bowls
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Make the tentsuyu sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the , soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes so the flavors blend, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
- 200 ml stock
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 60 ml
- 1 tbsp sugar
✅ Done when: sauce is hot and slightly fragrant
Prepare shrimp and vegetables
Score each shrimp with 3–4 shallow cuts along the belly and press gently to straighten it so it won't curl in the oil. Pat the shrimp, vegetables and leaves completely dry with paper towels, then dust everything very lightly with flour so the batter has something to grip.
- 8 large shrimp
- 1 small (150 g) sweet potato
- 150 g squash
- 4 green beans or shishito peppers
- 4 leaves
- about 1 tbsp (extra) flour, for dusting
✅ Done when: all pieces are dry and lightly dusted with flour
Mix a cold, lumpy batter
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Fry the vegetables
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Fry the shrimp
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Assemble the bowls
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The Story Behind the Dish
Tempura itself arrived in Japan through Portuguese traders in the 16th century, and over time Edo-period cooks turned deep-fried battered seafood into a fast, satisfying street food. Serving it over a bowl of rice with a savoury dashi-based sauce, rather than as a formal course with dipping sauce, grew out of the same no-fuss donburi culture that gave Tokyo its beef bowls and eel bowls.
Tendon became a staple of casual tempura shops and train-station counters, prized for being quick, filling and deeply comforting, especially on a cold day.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for the contrast between crackly, freshly fried tempura and rice that's softened just at the edges by the warm, sweet-savoury tentsuyu.
💡 Fun Fact
Many old-school tendon shops pour the sauce over the rice before the tempura goes on, then add more on top, so every bite has both crisp and soaked textures.
Tokyo (Edo)
35.68°N, 139.65°E
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