This dish of battered and deep-fried food is popular in US Japanese restaurants. Tempura comes from 1500s Japan and a culinary technique introduced by Portuguese living there. The Portuguese made fritters using a flour-and-egg-batter, deviating from using Japanese rice flour. “Tempura” stems from the Latin “ad tempora cuaresme”—in the time of Lent—and refers to foods eaten by the Catholic Portuguese during Lent, when meat is not eaten. In the 1600s, food carts in Japan served the crispy tempura and the method of frying is now closely linked with the culture. Hawaii and California are home to the country's largest Japanese immigrant population.
Recipe Servings: 4
Ingredients
Batter:
Dipping Sauce:
- ½ cup mirin or sake
- ½ cup Tamari soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup daikon radish, grated
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- Vegetable oil, as needed for frying
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
Tempura Ingredients (select as desired):
- ½ lb large shrimp, cleaned, tails on
- ½ lb scallops
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced ¼ -inch thick
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally in strips
- 4 oz Chinese green beans, ends trimmed
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 5 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
- 2 Japanese eggplants, halved and cut into ¼ -inch slices
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk then add ice water and stir a few times to lightly combine.
- Add flour and lightly mix a few times with a fork, until ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be lumpy.
- In a small saucepan, combine mirin, soy sauce, and sugar.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, until sugar dissolves.
- Transfer sauce to a bowl and add grated radish and ginger immediately prior to serving.
- In a wok or deep-fryer, heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375°F.
- Flavor the pan with sesame oil.
- Dust the shrimp and vegetables with flour to soak up moisture, shaking off excess.
- Working one piece at a time, dip each of the shrimp and vegetables into the tempura batter.
- In batches of about 6 pieces, fry without overcrowding, about 3 minutes. Turn once cooking until golden brown.
- Keep oil clean by skimming out any floating bits of batter between batches.
- Remove the fried tempura pieces and drain on paper towels.
- Serve fresh, accompanied by dipping sauce.
For Batter:
For Dipping Sauce:
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