Korean Seafood Tempura (Korean Deep-Fried Seafood)
Quick answer
Haemul-twigim is a Korean assorted seafood platter of shrimp, squid, and clams coated in a light cold-water batter and deep-fried until crisp.
What makes this special
- Haemul-twigim brings together shrimp and squid in a light batter fried at 170 degrees Celsius.
- Shrimp deveined and squid scored to prevent curling in hot oil
- Short fry at 175°C pulls seafood before it turns tough
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Snip the back tendons of 150 g shrimp so they stay straighter, then score 150 g squid to reduce shrinking.
- 2 Pour 150 ml cold water into 150 g frying powder and mix lightly with chopsticks or a fork.
- 3 Pour 800 ml cooking oil into a deep pan and heat it over medium-high heat to 170C.
Haemul-twigim is a Korean assorted seafood platter of shrimp, squid, and clams coated in a light cold-water batter and deep-fried until crisp. Each type of seafood requires different prep: shrimp get their back tendons snipped to prevent curling, and squid are scored to stop them from shrinking in hot oil. The cold-water batter produces a thin, delicate coating that highlights the seafood's own flavors rather than burying them. Frying briefly at 170 degrees keeps the interiors from turning rubbery, and the platter is typically served with soy dipping sauce or salt alongside tteokbokki and fish cake soup as part of a bunsik spread. Substituting beer or sparkling water for plain cold water in the batter creates an even lighter, crispier coating, and draining the pieces thoroughly on a rack immediately after frying is what keeps them from going soggy before they reach the table.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Snip the back tendons of 150 g shrimp so they stay straighter, then score 150 g squid to reduce shrinking.
Rinse the 100 g clams, then dry all seafood thoroughly to prevent oil splatter.
- 2Heat
Pour 150 ml cold water into 150 g frying powder and mix lightly with chopsticks or a fork.
Stop while a few small flour lumps remain, because overmixing makes the coating heavier.
- 3Control
Pour 800 ml cooking oil into a deep pan and heat it over medium-high heat to 170C.
If a drop of batter sinks briefly and rises with fine bubbles, the oil is ready.
- 4Heat
Coat the seafood thinly in batter and add it to the oil in small batches.
Fry for about 2 minutes, turning only as needed, then lift pieces out when the coating is pale golden and crisp.
- 5Heat
Drain the fried pieces on a rack or absorbent paper without stacking them.
Let excess oil drip away fully, and avoid a long second fry because the seafood can quickly turn rubbery.
- 6Finish
Serve the seafood tempura while it is still hot and crisp, with 2 teaspoons soy sauce for dipping.
If steam softens the coating, leave the pieces uncovered briefly so moisture can escape.
After the steps
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Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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Mixed Korean Tempura
Modeum twigim is an assorted Korean tempura platter featuring sweet potato, squid, shrimp, onion, and carrot dipped in a light batter of frying powder mixed with cold water, then deep-fried at 170 degrees Celsius until crisp. Keeping the water cold and mixing minimally prevents gluten development, yielding a thin, shattering crust rather than a heavy coating. Each ingredient brings its own character: sweet potato offers starchy sweetness, squid and shrimp contribute oceanic umami, and onion and carrot release their natural moisture and fragrance as they fry. Because each ingredient has a different density and water content, maintaining a steady oil temperature is essential so every piece cooks through at the center while staying crisp at the surface. Served with a small bowl of soy sauce, the platter lets the clean frying flavor and the individual taste of each ingredient come through without any additional seasoning.
Korean Seafood Hot Pot (Shrimp, Squid & Crab Spicy Pot)
Haemul jeongol is a Korean seafood hot pot that brings together shrimp, Manila clams, squid, and blue crab in a spicy kelp-based broth seasoned with gochujang and gochugaru. The two chili seasonings serve different purposes: gochujang contributes fermented umami depth and body to the broth, while gochugaru adds clean heat and the vivid red color that makes the dish visually striking. Each type of seafood contributes something distinct to the pot. The clams release their natural briny-sweet liquor as they open, forming the backbone of the broth's flavor. The blue crab sweetens the stock progressively as it simmers, adding a richness that builds over time. The squid provides a chewy textural counterpoint to the softer elements, and the shrimp contribute a clean, delicate sweetness. Tofu and zucchini round out the pot with soft contrast between the firm seafood, and soup soy sauce is used for final seasoning rather than regular soy sauce to avoid darkening the broth. Because jeongol is served bubbling at the table and eaten while still cooking, the seafood should not be fully cooked before serving - shrimp and squid in particular should be added just as the broth comes to a boil and cooked only briefly, since prolonged heat makes them rubbery and dry. The wide vessel and communal style of eating, with everyone reaching into the same pot, is central to what makes haemul jeongol a gathering dish rather than a solo meal.
Korean Dalgona Coffee (Whipped Instant Coffee Foam Milk)
Dalgona coffee is made by whipping equal parts instant coffee, sugar, and hot water with a hand mixer for three to five minutes until stiff, caramel-colored peaks form, then spooning the foam over iced milk. The whipped layer carries a concentrated, bittersweet coffee flavor that gradually blends into the cold, neutral milk below as you stir. A light dusting of cocoa powder on top introduces a faint chocolate note, and increasing the sugar slightly helps the whipped cream hold its stiff structure longer.
Korean Curry Flavored Tempura
Curry twigim mixes curry powder directly into the frying batter, giving it a vivid golden color and distributing spice throughout the coating before any frying begins. Sweet potato, carrot, and onion slices are dipped in this batter and deep-fried at 170 degrees Celsius. The key technical requirement is ice-cold water in the batter: cold temperature inhibits gluten development, which keeps the coating thin and produces a shattering, light crunch when bitten. Using warm or room-temperature water causes the gluten strands to develop fully, resulting in a thick, chewy crust that absorbs oil rather than repelling it. Because the curry powder is built into the batter itself, every piece carries turmeric, cumin, and coriander flavor in each bite without needing a dipping sauce. Compared to standard Korean vegetable tempura, the curry spices add an aromatic warmth and complexity to the sweet vegetables that distinguishes it clearly. The texture is best immediately out of the oil while the coating is still rigid.
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Candied Sweet Potato
Goguma mattang is a Korean candied sweet potato snack made by cutting peeled sweet potatoes into large chunks and deep-frying them at 170 degrees Celsius until the interior turns floury and soft. A syrup of sugar, corn syrup, water, and a measured splash of soy sauce is cooked separately until large, foamy bubbles form - the visual cue for adding the fried sweet potatoes. Everything must be coated within thirty seconds to lock in a thin, glass-like caramel shell that crisps and turns translucent as it cools. The soy sauce shifts the flavor from purely sweet to a rounded, slightly savory depth. Pre-draining surface moisture from the cut sweet potatoes reduces oil splatter during frying and helps the syrup grip the pieces evenly. Black sesame seeds are scattered over the finished pieces for a toasted, nutty note, and each piece is spread individually on parchment paper while still warm so they cool without sticking together.
Korean Stir-Fried Burdock Root
Burdock root is julienned into thin strips and stir-fried with soy sauce and Korean grain syrup until each piece is coated in a glossy, sweet-salty glaze. Burdock carries an earthy, almost woody flavor unique among root vegetables, and soaking the cut strips in vinegared water before cooking prevents oxidation and keeps the color clean. A quick initial fry in oil seals the surface and drives off moisture, preserving the root's natural crunch. Adding soy sauce and grain syrup transforms the pan into a bubbling reduction that clings to every strand as it thickens. The grain syrup's gentle sweetness softens the soy sauce's salinity into a balanced, caramelized coating, while the heat converts burdock's raw earthiness into a toasted, nutty aroma. Reducing the sauce completely yields a chewy, almost candy-like texture; leaving a trace of moisture produces a crunchier, more succulent result. The finished banchan stores well under refrigeration for a week or more, making it a practical side to prepare in bulk.
Korean Spicy Whelk Bibim Guksu
Golbaengi bibim-guksu is a cold mixed noodle dish built around chewy canned whelk tossed in a spicy-tangy sauce, widely enjoyed as a drinking snack in Korea. Gochujang and gochugaru set the heat level, while vinegar and sugar counter with a sharp sweetness, and sesame oil rounds everything out with a nutty finish. Julienned cucumber and onion contribute a crisp crunch that contrasts with the springy whelk and the slippery noodles. The somyeon must be rinsed immediately in ice water after boiling to lock in their firm, bouncy texture before mixing with the sauce. Adding a small splash of the whelk canning liquid into the sauce deepens the umami base, and rinsing the whelk itself under cold water controls the salinity.
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Korean Seafood Fried Rice
Mixed seafood including shrimp, squid, and mussel meat is stir-fried together on high heat until a smoky wok char develops. Day-old cold rice works best because its lower moisture content lets the grains separate cleanly in the pan, and seasoning with soy sauce and oyster sauce layers additional depth on top of the seafood's own brininess. Cracking the eggs into the pan first and immediately tossing the rice on top coats each grain in a thin shell of egg, yielding a lightly crisp exterior. Sesame oil is drizzled only after the heat is off so its fragrance stays intact.
Korean Kimchi Tempura (Crispy Battered Deep-Fried Fermented Kimchi)
Kimchi twigim is made by cutting well-fermented napa kimchi into large pieces, lightly squeezing out moisture, dipping in a batter of frying mix and cold water, and deep-frying at 170C until crispy. Cold water in the batter creates a sharper temperature differential in the hot oil, producing a crunchier coating. The kimchi's fermented acidity and spice layer against the batter's mild savoriness, and using deeply aged kimchi intensifies the tang that counterbalances the frying oil. Squeezing the kimchi too dry removes its umami-rich juices, so moderate draining is the key.
Korean Fried Squid
Cleaned squid is cut into 1 cm rings, dipped in a light batter of frying mix, cold water, and egg, then deep-fried at 170 degrees Celsius for three to four minutes until golden and crisp. Cold water is essential for the batter -- warm water activates the gluten in the flour and produces a thick, doughy coating instead of the thin, shatter-crisp shell this dish depends on. The batter should be mixed just enough to combine, leaving a few lumps intact, because those uneven patches fry up with irregular texture that adds to the crunch. Scoring the squid rings lightly with a knife or pounding them briefly helps them stay flat and allows the batter to adhere without sliding off. Frying in small batches matters, since crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and causes the rings to absorb fat rather than fry. The defining quality of this dish is the contrast between the springy, chewy squid and the airy, crisp coating that surrounds it, a contrast that only exists in the first few minutes after frying. Served with a pinch of salt or a soy-vinegar dipping sauce, these rings are a fixture at street food stalls and snack shops across Korea.