In the past year, I have become such a fan of Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese food. I have always leaned toward New Mexican food but maybe after 30 years of living in New Mexico, my taste buds are ready to branch out. 😉

I’ve always wanted to make Tempura Shrimp and I was so happy to start out with this easy-to-make Toasted Coconut Tempura Shrimp with Lime Rice.

It was a little more time-consuming than other HelloFresh meals I’ve made, but oh my goodness, it was SO worth it!

I actually asked Jesse if I could sit down and eat dinner by myself just to relish every single bite in silence (it had been a longgg day – haha.) He agreed and gave the kids a bath while I ate dinner. It was magical! I’ve never been a huge fan of slaw, but the Tropic Slaw accompanied the shrimp and rice really well. 

I started by boiling the water for rice. As the rice cooked, I mixed the ingredients for the Tropical Slaw (the cashews made it!) The sauce is a combination of pineapple juice, apricot jam, lime juice and Sriracha and I’ll be making that again for pretty much every Asian meal I eat! (It would be a delicious sauce for Egg Rolls!)

Next I prepared the batter. I added a tempura mix, toasted coconut, salt and cold water until the batter reached a consistency similar to pancake-batter. I heated my oil in the pan and, as soon as it was hot enough, I started frying the shrimp. 

Once it was finished, I transferred the shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels and drizzled the sauce on top of the shrimp and the rice.

You guys absolutely have to try this recipe! It is wonderful for a night with guests or an evening where you just feel like making something nice for yourself. Because we all need that sometimes, don’t we?

Comment below and let me know what you thought of the recipe! 

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Print
Toasted Coconut Tempura Shrimp with Lime Rice and Sweet and Spicy Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Jasmine Rice
  • 1/4 Oz Cilantro
  • 2 Limes
  • 8 Oz Pineapple
  • 8 Oz Shredded Red Cabbage
  • 1/2 tsp. Sugar
  • 4 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
  • 1 Oz. Cashews
  • 8 Tbsp. Apricot Jam
  • 2 Tsp. Sriracha
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
  • 1 tsp. Sugar
  • 20 Oz. Shrimp
  • 1 1/3 Cup Tempura Mix
  • 1 Tbsp. Butter
Instructions

  1. In a medium pot, combine rice, 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender (about 15-18 minutes). Keep covered and off heat until ready to serve.

  2. While rice is cooking, roughly chop cilantro. Zest 1 lime and halve both limes. Drain pineapple over a small bowl, reserving the juice.

  3. In a medium bowl, toss together cabbage, cilantro, pineapple, mayonnaise, half the pineapple juice, juice from 1 lime and 1/2 tsp. of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Add cashews and toss to coat.

  4. In the bowl with remaining pineapple juice, stir in jam, a squeeze of lime juice (to taste) and sriracha. Set aside.

  5. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Add coconut and 1 tsp. sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (about 1-2 minutes.)

  6. Turn off heat; transfer to a second small bowl and wipe out pan.

  7. Rinse shrimp under cold water, then pat very dry with paper towels. Season with salt.

  8. In a large bowl, combine tempura mix, half the toasted coconut, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2-3/4 cup cold water. (NOTE: If mixture is too thick, add more water 1 Tbsp. at a time until it reaches a pancake-batter consistency.)

  9. Heat a 1/4 inch layer of oil in pan used for coconut over medium-high heat.

  10. Stir shrimp into batter until fully coated. Line a plate with paper towels. Once oil is simmering and hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles when added to the pan, add coated shrimp in a single layer. Cook in batches until golden-brown and cooked through. (About 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the second side.)

  11. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to lined plate. Immediately season with salt and pepper.

  12. Fluff rice with a fork and stir in 1 Tbsp. butter and lime zest to taste. Season with salt.

  13. Divide rice, shrimp and tropical slaw between the plates. Sprinkle shrimp and rice with remaining toasted coconut. Drizzle shrimp with sauce. Enjoy!

Warmly,

Lindsey Maestas