Welcome back, everyone, to another delicious edition of Anime Recipes! Just in case you are new to this type of article, in this series from Honey’s Anime, we break down the mouthwatering food that anime presents us with as often as we can. The problem is that there is just too much delicious food and not enough time. We have already encountered a few recipes from the show that we are focusing on today, but it should be noted that you just cannot have too much of a good thing. Let’s go!
Tendon from 3-gatsu no Lion (March Comes in Like a Lion)
Tendon is a version of donburi or rice bowl meals, but it is something that is not only simple, seemingly everyone in Japan loves it. While people scramble for Oyakodon (parent and child bowl) and unagidon (Eel bowl) the most, Tempura don or Tendon is actually one of the most versatile since the tempura that goes on it can be just about anything. You just need to make the tempura and the hard part is done. Some people may ask why it is not “Temdon,” and this is because tempura is actually spelled “Tenpura.” Westerners and Japanese alike have difficulties saying the “n” sound followed by a “p,” so a long time ago, it evolved as such. Either that or someone long ago misheard Japanese and thought there was a standalone “m” sound in Japanese, but there is not. Anyway, this delectable dish is perfect for any time really, but cold weather is the best for tendon because you are warmed up by its deliciousness. Let’s dig in!
What You Will Need:
Optional Notes:
Always use longer shrimp like tiger shrimp and not the pre-cooked ones. It will not cook right if you go with the curled ones. In this episode of 3-gatsu no Lion, Rei is either having a green pepper slice that has been tempura fried or he is having okra. Either/or is good, but if you are not a fan of these veggies, slices of onions, broccoli, carrots or mushrooms work well here. It is all about your taste preferences. We recommend going with a colored pepper if you do not like green bell peppers!
How to Cook It:
1
Remove the shells from the shrimp if they are not already. Now, cut a few notches into the undersides of the shrimp. This is to assist in the frying.2
Make your tempura flour by pouring out a decent amount into a bowl and taking water that has had ice in it or is ice cold, and bit by bit, pouring it into the bowl with the tempura flour. Pour a little in and mix. You want it to be slightly thin and yet still paste-like.3
Note, if you pour in too much water, you cannot take anything back out so don’t mess it up as this is crucial to make good tempura.4
Pour the mentsuyu into a small pot and bring it to a boil. Once it has reduced to about half, cut the heat and pour the sauce into a small bowl or pouring cup. It should be dark.5
Next, pour a generous amount of oil into a frying pan or pot and heat it up. What you want to do is get the oil to about 180C or 350F.6
Next, dip the shrimp into the batter coating it generously and then pan-fry on both sides. You do not want to deep fry it unless you plan on using all of that oil.7
Slice your veggie of choice, dip it into the batter, and then fry it as well.8
Cook your rice next.9
Put your rice into a bowl, place the veggies and shrimp on top, and then pour the reduced mentsuyu that you made earlier on top.10
Dig in!
(Note: Oil is hot. Be careful because it can burn you and it will hurt if it does. )
Yum!
Final Thought
![005 [Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipe: Tendon from 3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season](https://honeysanime.com/wp-content/uploads/img-common/author-profile-image/005.jpg)
Author: Nagareboshi