Tempura is a very common type of Japanese fried food. An assortment of ingredients can be dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried to make a variety of tempura. The dish was originally introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Although seemingly simple to make, some chefs spend years mastering the techniques of making tempura from scratch. However, any beginner can still make and enjoy this side dish.
Batter Ingredients
1 egg
200 ml of iced water
1 cup of flour
Tempera Dipping Sauce Ingredients
4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Mirin
¾ cup Dashi
Tempera Ingredients: You can pick what you would like
Peeled and deveined Shrimp
Eggplant
Oyster Mushrooms
Shiso Leaves
Etc
Neutral flavored oil for deep frying
- Boil and Mix all tempura dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside for use later.
- Prepare the ingredients you would like to fry by slicing the vegetables and deveining the shrimp.
- Heat two inches of oil in a pot to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oil is heating up, make the batter by whisking the egg and water together.
- Sift flour into a bowl and add in the wet mixture. Keep the batter cold.
- Dry all the ingredients that are fried before dipping into batter. This will keep the ingredient crispy after frying.
- Dip ingredients into the batter and fry for 15 seconds. Do not overcrowd the ingredients.
- Clean the oil in between batches by scooping away the batter crumbs from the oil.
- Repeat until all ingredients are used
- Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy.