216 – On Tendon Tenacity: Triptych 33

What was originally a dish borrowed from Portuguese cuisine has been turned into a Japanese staple. I mentioned in a previous post that the idea of tempura was inspired by the Portuguese peixinhos da horta, which was a dish of vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried. In time, the Japanese adopted this method of cooking and combined tempura with the donburi method of serving rice. Now, many tempura restaurants from Japan have emerged – each with their own take on the tempura donburi, or tendon. Today’s post features three tendon bowls I tried out. Absolutely no meat, I tell you!

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The Original Kohaku Tendon from Tendon Kohaku is comprised of chicken breast, wild tiger prawns, squid, crab stick, asparagus, shiitake mushroom, young corn, and pumpkin. A good combination of protein and vegetables!

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This Jo Tendon from Tenya Tempura Tendon does not scrimp on toppings. Two pieces of tiger prawn, one crab stick, and an assortment of vegetables — green beans, sweet potato, and eggplant — make this Asakusa restaurant a favorite.

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Lastly, the Ebi Tempura Don from Inari by Hamaru is unique because of its use of black rice. Coupled with an assortment of toppings such as prawn, sweet potato, green onion, and eggplant – one bowl is more than enough for this heavy eater!

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That ends this rather short triptych; until the next post!

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