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    Making the Perfect Tempura — July 7, 2019

    Making the Perfect Tempura

    July 7, 2019July 7, 2019/Christy

    For our final post on using a flour-based batter, let’s talk about tempura.

    Tempura is a very popular Japanese appetizer or snack.

    Tempura is actually more a method of cooking, more specifically of deep-frying, that involves coating ingredients...(more on this later)…with a feather-light batter and then cooking it in very hot oil so that you end up with a light, crispy crust.

    This method can be used on almost any food…including vegetables—such as bell peppers, eonions, eggplant, broccoli, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms…and meat—such as halibut, oysters, shrimp, squid.

    The perfect tempura is airy, light, and crispy….served hot with a special dipping sauce…garnished with grated daikon radish.

    So let’s talk about how we can make tempura at home….

     

     

    *************

    The Batter

    Your goal is to get the batter as light as possible….a batter that will result in fluffy and crisp tempura.

    And there are three important rules to remember about making tempura.

    First of all, your water must be ice cold. Otherwise, your batter will absorb too much oil. You can do this by either adding ice to your batter or by placing the bowl inside a larger bowl with ice in it.

    Do not mix the batter too much...keep it somewhat lumpy. If you mix the batter ingredients too much, your tempura will turn out chewy. Stab chopsticks…not a whisk…into the batter to combine the ingredients without mixing them too much. 

    Finally, do not use too much batter. This will help you make sure that the inside is cooked at the same time that the outside becomes crispy.

     

     

    ************

    Frying

    Most foods only need to cook a couple of minutes per side..

    It is important that the oil is at the right temperature—somewhere around 340 F to 360 F—before adding your food.

    This temperature will vary while you are cooking…especially whenever adding food to the hot oil…so use a candy thermometer to monitor it.

    Raise the heat when the oil is too cool…If the temperature is not hot enough, the batter will absorb too much oil and won’t get crispy;

    Lower the heat when the oil is too hot…..if the oil is too hot, the tempura will burn.

     

     

    —————–

    The Recipe

     

    Batter:

    • 1C flour
    • 1 large egg yolk
    •   1tsp baking powder
    •   1/2tsp salt
    • Oil for deep frying
    • 1Tbsp sesame oil

     

    Meat of choice…

    • 1/2 pound large shrimp, cleaned, tails on
    • 1/2 pound scallops

    Vegetables of choice…

    • 1 cup broccoli florets
    • 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
    • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally in strips
    • 4 ounces Chinese green beans, ends trimmed
    • 4 ounces mushrooms
    • 5 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
    • 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
    • 2 Japanese eggplants, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices

    Dippmg Sauce…

      • 1/2 cup mirin or sake
      • 1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce
      • 1 teaspoon sugar
      • 1/4 cup grated daikon radish
      • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated

    Prep

      1. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F over medium-high to medium heat in a deep fryer or a deep, heavy potwok or deep-fryer. Flavor with sesame oil.
      2. Salt any seafood and set it aside.
      3. Lay out a paper towel under a rack to place the fried seafood on.

    Making the Batter  

    1. Mix dry ingrefdients together—flour, baking soda, salt, cornstach.
    2. Beat egg yolk lightly. Add to dry ingredients.
    3. Add ice water
    4. Stir with a chopstick just until ingredients are loosely combined.
    5. You want the the consistency of the batter somewhat lumpy…kinda like melted ice cream.

    Cooking

    1. Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the batter one by one.
    2. Drop about six pieces at a time in hot oil. Make sure that you do not overcrowd the pan.
    3. Fry for about three minutes, until golden brown.
    4. Remove the cooked pieces out and place them on paper towel. Then add more of your ingredients…in other words, cook in batches.
    5. Skim the small bits of batter that float in the oil between batches. Remove the fried pieces from the oil and drain on a paper towel for a few seconds. Serve with dipping sauce.
    1. Dipping Sauce…Combine mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, Cook for about five minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl. Add grated radish and ginger just before serving.

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    Categories: Food on Fridays, Sweet, Sweet SundayTags: Appetizers, cooking methods, ethnic, food, Japan, recipes, seafood, shrimp, snacks, world cuisine

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