Matsutake Tempura with Matcha Salt

Fresh matsutake cut into thick planks, dusted, dipped in an ice-cold tempura batter, and fried just long enough to set the crust while keeping the mushroom's piney, spicy aroma intact. Instead of tentsuyu, it's served the Kyoto way with a toasted sea salt and matcha blend and a wedge of sudachi or lemon. American matsutake from the Pacific Northwest are a great substitute for the Japanese version.

Autumn's most prized mushroom in a whisper-thin, shatter-crisp batter, dipped in bright green matcha salt.

Why It Works

Matsutake are prized for their aroma, a mix of pine, cinnamon, and earth, and nearly all of it is volatile. Skipping the wash keeps them from going waterlogged, and a short fry at 175°C cooks the inside just enough to release that perfume without driving it off. The batter is cold, barely mixed, and lightened with sparkling water, so very little gluten forms and it fries up thin and glassy rather than bready. Dusting with flour first helps the batter cling to the smooth surface. Matcha salt replaces the usual tentsuyu so the crust stays crisp, and matcha's grassy bitterness and umami pick up the matsutake's forest notes. Toasting the salt dry first stops the matcha from clumping and keeps the blend bright.

Pairings

Chilled junmai ginjo sake, or a pot of hojicha
Matsutake gohan or dobin mushi, for a full matsutake course
Kobocha Karokke or other fall tempura (sweet potato, ginkgo nuts) on the side

Yield

4 appetizer portions

Time

30 minutes

Equipment

Heavy pot or tempura nabe
Deep-fry thermometer
Long chopsticks (saibashi) or tweezers
Spider or tempura skimmer, for clearing crumbs
Wire rack over a sheet tray
Small dry skillet + fine sieve (for the salt)
Mixing bowl set over ice

Ingredients

Matsutake
300 g fresh matsutake (4–6 medium)
Hakurikiko (cake flour), for dusting
Matcha salt
10 g fine sea salt (moshio or finely ground flaky salt)
2 g high-grade matcha
Optional: a pinch of dried yuzu zest
Batter
100 g hakurikiko (or 80 g all-purpose flour + 20 g cornstarch), chilled
1 egg yolk
180 ml ice-cold sparkling water
Frying
About 1.5 L neutral oil (rice bran or cottonseed)
Optional: 15% toasted sesame oil in the mix, for a traditional nutty aroma
To serve
Sudachi or lemon wedges
Kaishi or parchment paper; momiji or shiso leaves for garnish

Instructions

Matcha salt

Toast the salt in a dry skillet over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until completely dry and free-flowing. Cool fully.
Sift the matcha over the salt and mix well. Add the yuzu zest if using. Keep sealed until service; the color fades with light and air.

Matsutake

Don't wash them. Scrape the base of the stem with a paring knife and wipe the caps and stems with a damp cloth.
Tear or cut lengthwise into planks about 5–7 mm thick, keeping some cap on each piece. Halve small buttons.
Pat dry and lightly dust with hakurikiko, tapping off the excess.

Batter

Heat the oil to 175°C (347°F).
Just before frying, whisk the yolk into the ice-cold sparkling water in a bowl set over ice. Add the flour all at once and stir loosely with chopsticks 10–15 strokes. Lumps are fine; overmixing makes it heavy.

Fry

Dip each piece in batter, let the excess drip off, and slide it into the oil away from you. Fry in small batches so the temperature stays steady.
Fry 60–90 seconds, turning once, until the batter is crisp and pale gold and the bubbles slow. Drizzle a few drops of batter over the pieces as they fry for extra lacy crunch if you like.
Drain on the rack (not paper towels) and skim crumbs between batches.

Finish

Plate on kaishi paper with the matcha salt in a small dish and a wedge of sudachi or lemon. Serve immediately: dip, squeeze, eat.