Crispy Tempura Batter that Stays Crispy
Tempura is a famous Japanese dish in which food is lightly battered and deep-fried to create a light, crispy coating. Learn how to make this popular Japanese dish with items you probably already have on hand.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cake flour plus more for dusting.
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Cup Ice Cold liquid water, sparkling water or beer
- 6 Shrimp cleaned, and deveined, tail on
- Vegetables of your choice egg plant, zucchini, kabocha squash etc.
Instructions
Prepare the Tempura Items
- Shrimp, haddock, vegetables (egg plant, zucchini, kabocha squash). You can season it with spices or seasonings if you like.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan until very hot, but not smoking (about 375 degrees F).
- Whisk the egg and cold sparkling water together in a medium mixing bowl until mildly foamy.
- Add the flour a little at a time, stirring with chopsticks just to combine, and make a loose batter with the consistency of heavy cream. When mixing the ingredients together, don’t overmix the batter, it is ok to have some lumps. Use a couple of chopsticks to mix the ingredients together without overmixing them.
- (optional) Dredge the items in additional cake flour to help the batter stick evenly on tempura.
- Dip the items in the batter quickly, shake them out, then put them into the hot oil, fry them in 350°F oil. To keep the oil temperature from dropping too low, do this in batches. Avoid overcrowding the pot.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the batter is golden brown.
- Remove cooked tempura from the oil and place it on a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
- Continue until you've used up all of your ingredients. When you've finished frying everything, keep the remaining warm in an oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit until ready to serve.
- Serve with Tempura dipping sauce.
Notes
Once the cooking has started, pour a small amount of batter onto each piece in the frying pan with your fingers. The tempura will be even crispier as a result. Remember not to turn the ingredients constantly while they're cooking; instead, let them fry and touch them only when necessary.
You can buy pre-made tempura batter and only water needs to be added to make the tempura batter. Given the ease with which this dish can be prepared and the fact that the products in the bag virtually always include additional ingredients, making at home is the preferred method and healthier option.
To keep the shrimps from curling up, make a small slit on the sides and lightly crush the muscle.
When adding the egg to the batter, you may want to adjust soda water or beer a little to compensate. If the batter appears to be excessively thick, add a bit more soda water/beer, or if it is too runny then add a little more cake flour. Adjust the consistency of the batter to your taste.