The shrimp tend to curl when they are cooked and we do not like that. Inside their bodies are thin but tough threads that behave as sinew to curl their bodies and move their tails so these threads are cut or broken. There are three ways to perform this shrimp-stretching function.
The preferred method and the first step of each method is make five or so slices across the body underneath where the legs were attached, slicing across about 1/4 the way through, chopping the main long thread to pieces. Then invert the shrimp right side up, squeeze and bend segment for segment to snap each of the lateral sections. You can actually hear the snap. Unless you are deaf. Which happens. Apparently there are side-threads. This is a lot of handling for each individual shrimp but that is how Japanese cooks are. Extremely fussy about details like this. They just are.
Batter does not stick very well to slick surfaces so the outside of the chile pepper is roughed up with a rasp.
Bunch of other junk. Whatevs; salt, pepper, chile powder, garlic powder.
Used to dust food objects for the batter to hold onto.
Then beer mixed into this same remaining powder combination to form a thin batter.
Thin batter, not thick batter.
THIN batter not medium batter.
Can you believe I didn't even finish the beer? I used it for the batter and that's it. I didn't even take a sip.
Sometimes I just cannot stand that stuff.
When I was in high school my parents encouraged me to drink beer. On account of being so scrawny. I couldn't stand the stuff back then either. I kept trying and trying and trying, and maybe on a very hot day, but otherwise nah.
The internet is full of these shrimp-stretching videos. Hiro is probably the best. I love the intro the way the drone drops down the front of the building to enter the front door.
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