Tempura Shrimp with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce

For the Sauce:

¼ Cup Water
¾ Cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Sambal Chile Paste- in Asian section of market or substitute hot sauce to taste
3 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
Salt to Taste

· Combine all the ingredients in a saucepot, stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool in the refrigerator at least 2 hours to allow sauce to thicken. Reserve to serve with the tempura shrimp.

For the Shrimp:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Cornstarch
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Cold Water
1 Egg
18 Shrimp- 21-25 size, peeled, de-veined, butterflied
As Needed Vegetable Oil for Frying
To Taste Salt and Black Pepper

· Sift together into a bowl the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, egg, and vegetable oil. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, whisk until smooth. The batter should be a little thinner than pancake batter. If too thick, add more water, if too thin, add more flour. Reserve.

· Heat a deep fryer with vegetable oil to 350ºf. Dip each shrimp into the tempura batter. Let excess batter drip off and carefully place in the fryer one by one. Fry only 4 shrimp at a time until a light golden color. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with the sweet chile sauce. Enjoy!