Tempura Deep-fried dishes

Tempura is a Japanese dish that typically consists of seafood, shrimp or vegetables that are deep-fried in batter. Leaves, mushrooms and sprouts are also used in the preparation of tempura. The actual food is coated in batter and then deep-fried in oil heated to 140 to 190 degrees Celsius. The flour used for the batter is called tempura flour, a special type made from rice. Of course, many people also use simple wheat flour available at the supermarket.

Cold water is used in making the batter, as the batter becomes much looser. Eggs, baking powder, starch and oil are added. The batter can be enhanced with spices. Traditionally, the batter is made in small barrels, but for home use, a bowl is more than enough. The preliminary result looks a bit like pancake batter. If the batter needs to stand for a long time, it is also often cooled with ice in between.

Among many others, sesame oil is suitable for frying, as this can enhance the taste even more. The frying time varies greatly and depends on the contents, but as a rule, the food is only left in the already boiling oil for a few seconds.

Tempura is usually served as a side dish with various dipping sauces. One variation is a sweet fish sauce, which is native to many Asian countries and is also used for dipping many other dishes. The most popular sauce in Japan is Tentsuyu. It is mixed with soy sauce and therefore also has a slightly brown color. These sauces also contain sugar, which is why they are slightly sweet.

Origin

Deep-frying food has a very long tradition in Japan, but until the 16th century, this was done without a breading. It was only when missionaries from Portugal came to Japan during this time to spread the Christian faith that the Japanese adopted a technique of the faithful, for they brought a recipe with them in which potatoes were coated with batter before baking. The first tempura at that time was made with lard and a batter made of water, flour, eggs and salt. With the beginning of the 17th century, tempura was further developed, so at that time the batter was already being cooled to prevent the typical stickiness caused by the activation of wheat gluten, which ultimately also led to the crunchy texture that is now characteristic of tempura. Dipping sauces were also introduced for the first time, made from grated daikon.

The then-current pressing methods, which enabled the production of cooking oil at a low price, contributed to the spread of tempura. There was also an abundant supply of seafood at the time, which made it cheap. Of course, tempura also found many supporters because of the deliciousness of the dish. Tempura was the fast food of its time in Japan and was usually only made in restaurants, as many houses burned down during preparation because of the hot oil. Also very interesting is the fact that tempura was already mentioned in a cookbook in the form of a recipe in 1671.

But the missionaries not only gave the impetus for the recipe to come about, they also provided the name right away, because tempura comes from Spanish and Portuguese, it contains the Latin word tempera, which refers to the time. They used the word to refer to the time of fasting and other Christian holidays.

Outside Japan, there are many non-traditional ways of preparing tempura. Chefs around the world have these dishes on their menus and offer a wide selection of different batters and ingredients, including broccoli, zucchini, asparagus and chuchu. Other unusual ingredients are dried fruits like bananas, but also ice cream. Many American restaurants are known for serving meat dishes, especially chicken with cheese, usually mozzarella. One variation is to use breadcrumbs, which results in a crispier texture than with tempura batter. The use of wheat flour would no longer qualify the dish as tempura in Japan. It would be called something else for that reason alone.

We recommend these ingredients

• Squid
• Shrimps
• Prawns
• Mussels
• Catfish
• Cod
• Haddock
• Coalfish
• Pollack
• Plaice
• Skate
• Sea bass
• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Onion
• Bell pepper
• Pumpkin
• Green beans
• Okura
• Asparagus

Tempura with wheat flour batter

There are as many debates about tempura batters as there are recipes. Even though real tempura flour made from rice is already available at retail, many people in Europe stick to wheat flour. It can be used, even if it forms gluten, but there is a cure for that. The trick is to keep the batter really cold, so you can always add ice cubes, especially you should work quickly! Making the batter is no different from using tempura flour at all.

Tempura with meat dishes

For all those who are not so fond of fish or seafood in general, tempura made from meat is recommended, because that works just as well and there are also hardly any limits to the variety here.

Chicken Tempura is a variation that is often thought to be a Western form, but that is not the case, as it is a regional specialty in the Oita Prefecture of Kyushu in Japan. With a crispy and fluffy batter on the outside and juicy and tender meat on the inside, Chicken Tempura is best eaten with Karashi Mustard Ponzu Sauce.

The meat of the breast or thighs is used, and the meat can also be marinated in a mix of soy sauce, garlic and ginger.

When using meat, some potato starch can be added to the batter, as it absorbs less moisture, making the tempura batter crispier, hold its shape better and the meat stays juicier. You can play around a bit with the ratio of potato starch and flour.

Of course, other types of meat can also be used, such as pork, which should ideally be tender and from the pork fillet, but other parts, such as the pork shoulder, can also be used. Bacon is also a popular ingredient in the preparation of tempura. When using pork, the batter is often mixed with breadcrumbs.

Vegetable Tempura

Kakiage Tempura is another type where only vegetables are used. This is usually sliced very thinly and is the main ingredients that are then deep-fried in tempura batter. Kakiage Tempura is a popular side dish and can be served in many different ways, such as Kakiage Donburi, Kakiage Soba and Kakiage Udon.

Shiso leaves can be added, as they are a great garnish, and they give the tempura a bright green color and a basil-like taste. Onions and carrots are normally used in Kakiage Tempura, but you can also use any other vegetables. Sweet potatoes are also very popular. Gobou (burdock) and Renkon (lotus roots) are also very suitable for making Kakiage Tempura.

Commonly used vegetables for tempura include Japanese sweet potatoes, mushrooms, such as Shiitake or King Oysters, Kabocha pumpkin, bell peppers, lotus roots and eggplant.

Tempura Soba

Tempura Soba is a hot soba noodle soup with tempura. It is very light and good for any meal. This soup is especially savory and yet filling. In Japan, there are a few restaurants that specialize in soba, but it is also very easy to make at home.

These soups are already quite common in supermarkets in the USA, but they are not yet very widespread in Germany. In any case, an Asian market near you should have this soup or at least the ingredients for it in stock. Soba noodles are generally a better choice than traditional spaghetti, as they are much healthier. Soba has fewer calories, but more nutrients, such as vitamin B, various minerals and fiber. Another reason is that soba does not contain gluten.

Tempura with rice

But tempura is also often served with rice as a side dish. This is a Japanese dish called Tendon. A kind of meal with rice from the bowl, which usually also contains vegetables. The tempura is then placed over the freshly steamed rice and seasoned with a delicious light soy sauce dressing. This is eaten for lunch or as a light dinner.

The tempura is a bit more elaborate, so the rice should be prepared in between. Finally, you have to prepare a sauce. Get some Mirin, which is brought to a boil over high heat until all the alcohol has dissolved. When you can no longer smell the alcohol, simply add the soy sauce, dashi and sugar and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes. Then take a bowl and fill it with rice and the tempura on top. Done. You can also prepare additional vegetables for this.