Mixed Korean Tempura

Quick answer

Total time: 35 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

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.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

sweet potato1 piecepiece

squid200 gg

shrimp150 gg

carrot1 piecepiece

onion1 piecepiece

frying powder200 gg

water200 mlml

cooking oil1000 mlml

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Slice 1 sweet potato and 1 carrot thinly, and separate 1 onion along its layers into bite-sized pieces.

Keep the pieces fairly even so the dense vegetables can cook through before the coating darkens.
2

Control

Prepare 200 g squid and 150 g shrimp into easy-to-eat pieces.

Reduce surface moisture before battering, because excess water makes the oil splatter and keeps the coating from setting thin and crisp.
3

Heat

Combine 200 g frying powder with 200 ml very cold water and mix only lightly.

Stop while a few small lumps remain, since overmixing develops gluten and makes a thick, heavy coating.
4

Heat

Heat 1000 ml cooking oil to 170 degrees Celsius.

Do not crowd the oil with too many pieces at once, and pause between batches if the temperature drops or bubbling becomes weak.
5

Heat

Batter the firm pieces, such as sweet potato and carrot, and fry them first.

Remove them when the edges turn pale golden and a chopstick or skewer slides in without hard resistance.
6

Finish

Fry the squid, shrimp, and onion in separate small batches, then drain well so trapped oil does not soften the crust.

Serve while the pieces are still crisp, with soy sauce for dipping.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Mixed Korean tempura uses a cold water batter to achieve a thin, airy, and crisp exterior.
Finish cue: Remove them when the edges turn pale golden and a chopstick or skewer slides in without hard resistance.
Avoid this: Do not crowd the oil with too many pieces at once, and pause between batches if the temperature drops or bubbling becomes weak.