Tempura is fresh fish, shellfish or vegetables dipped in a batter (koromo) of flour mixed with egg & water and then deep-fried. Tempura is best eaten immediately after frying dipped in a special tempura dipping sauce called tentsuyu & grated radish. The sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, dashi (stock) & mirin (sweet sake). Sometimes, Tempura is eaten simply with lemon juice & salt.

Foods that can be used as ingredients for Tempura include low-fat fish such as anago (conger eel), ika (squid), kisu (smelt), shirauo (a kind of whitebait fish), shrimps and shellfish like scallops. Vegetables used include mushrooms, lotus root, eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes, beefsteak plant or perilla (shiso) & green peppers.

2. When preparing the prawns or shrimps, leave the last shell of the joint still attached so that the tail stands when fried. Also, make a few incisions along the belly & stretch the body out. This is to avoid curling when fried.

3. All vegetables must be patted dry after washing & before dipping into the batter. Stems from Chinese Black mushrooms must be removed. Cut Eggplant lengthwise into 4 pcs. Peel sweet potato and cut into 1-cm-thick rounds. Don't slice them too thickly or else you'll end up with the batter cooked just right but the vegetables still raw inside.

4. Tempura flour contains cornstarch, baking powder, and sometimes other flours besides soft-wheat flour. This product is made specifically for tempura, so for best results, use this instead of flour for cakes and cookies. They are usually packaged in plastic bags rather than paper ones. Follow instructions on packages as to the ratio of the water & flour. Sometimes there is no need to add egg because it has been been previously incorporated into the flour.

5. Combine batter ingredients only after the oil is hot enough.

6. Use iced water when making the batter. This is to increase the temperature difference between oil & batter.

7. Use thick chopsticks or fork & stir the batter in criss-cross motion. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Do not use eggbeater.

8. Ideal amount of oil is two-thirds full in the pan. Drop batter to test the temperature. It is ready when the drop of batter floats back to the surface after descending only halfway to the bottom. If the drop of batter reaches the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.

BATTER:
1 cup flour (sifted)
1 egg and enough iced water to make 1 cup

Note: As I mentioned earlier, some tempura flours do not need egg added in them. Pls. read instructions on labels.

DIPPING SAUCE: (Tentsuyu)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp dashinomoto, (fish stock in freeze-dried granular form)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (sweet sake)

Note: Instant tentsuyu sauces are available, too. Some of them have to be added with equal amounts of water. Some of them don't. Read instructions on labels.

CONDIMENTS:
1/2 cup grated radish
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Have fun cooking Tempura! Bon appetit!
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