Tempura is a typical dish from the Japanese cuisine. The traditional dish is made of fried fish and vegetables in batter. You may not know that the word tempura is not a term of Japanese origin, but of Latin origin and is linked to the Christian tradition.
Tempura according to tradition appeared thanks to the first contacts between the Japanese, Portuguese sailors and Christian missionaries. The Christians abstained from eating meat for three days at the beginning of each season. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday they ate only fish and vegetables. These periods were called Tempora and this is where the word tempura comes from. It can be said that the word comes from the Portuguese tempero, which means seasoning.
January 7th is Tempura Day.
The Original Recipe for Japanese Tempura
According to the original Japanese recipe, the batter is made with only two ingredients: rice flour and very cold water (sparkling).
To make good Japanese tempura, you will need:
3.4 fl oz (100 ml) of cold water, preferably sparkling
3.5 oz (100 g) of rice flour
You will need to mix the ingredients quickly using Japanese chopsticks. If small lumps remain when mixing, it does not matter, as this will help the tempura become crispier. Then the batter is stored in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
Tempura should always be fresh and dry. You may have noticed that the original version of Japanese tempura batter is vegan and gluten-free, as it is made from rice flour and does not contain any animal ingredients - not even eggs.
The best vegetables for your tempura
Among the best vegetables for preparing tempura are zucchini, squash blossoms, carrots, green beans, peppers cut into strips, eggplant cut into strips, broccoli and cauliflower divided into florets, asparagus, pumpkin cut into sticks and if you want to experiment, try sage.
Secrets for preparing crispy tempura
Let's see what are the secrets for preparing the perfect crispy and light tempura. You need to be especially careful with the temperatures when preparing the ingredients.
1. Oil temperature
To find out if the oil is ready for frying, simply drop a small amount of dough and if it sinks and then floats – the oil temperature is good;
2. Use cold ingredients from the refrigerator
The ingredients that are essential for your tempura, such as vegetables, will need to be taken straight from the refrigerator. With hot oil and cold ingredients, a thermal shock must be generated in order to obtain crispy tempura. And for this reason, it is recommended to cool the batter for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before using it;
3. Dough variation
If the classic Japanese recipe for dough made with only flour and water does not satisfy you, you can try a more conventional way: 1 yolk, 3.5 oz (100 g flour), 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) cold water and 1 pinch of salt.
Another variation of the original Japanese tempura recipe is by replacing the carbonated water with beer and chickpea flour instead of rice flour;
4. Using sesame oil
The traditional oil used in Japan for preparing tempura is sesame oil, which is one of the secrets to its characteristic flavor. Some use sunflower or soybean oil to fry tempura, but if you want to fully follow the rules of Japanese cuisine, you should give preference to sesame oil. Sesame oil is a vegetable oil extracted from sesame seeds and contains a powerful antioxidant - sesamol.
Now that you know how to make tempura, be sure to try our recipes for broccoli tempura, shrimp tempura and this delicious eggplant tempura.
Also check out our suggestions for healthy keto breading and find out what panko breadcrumbs are.
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