Tempura Recipes

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Whisk light soy sauce, mirin, and dashi granules together in a bowl for the sauce; set aside.
• Whisk water and egg yolks together in a bowl until well combined. Sift in flour and whisk until just combined; batter will be a bit lumpy.
• Heat vegetable oil in a wok or a deep saucepan until very hot, but not smoking.
• Dip sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, green beans, and shiitake mushrooms one by one into the batter and transfer immediately into the hot oil. Deep-fry tempura in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the wok, until batter is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat until all vegetables have been used. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Follow these instructions to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry and make sure the moisture is completely removed from the shrimp.
• Cut all the vegetables (except the eggplant) ¼-inch thick. For the eggplant, cut off and discard the stem and calyx, then cut it in half lengthwise. With the cut side flat on the cutting board, cut the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (about ⅛ inch or 3 mm), being careful to leave the bottom tip intact by 1 inch (2.5 cm) so the slices stay connected. Then, gently press down on the slices to fan them out. Repeat with the other eggplant half.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of the oil to 350°F (180°C).
• While the oil is heating up, start preparing the tempura batter. Add the egg and the iced water into a 2-cup measuring cup (or any bowl). Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten.
• Check the oil temperature with a thermometer to make sure the oil is 350°F (180°C). You can also use wooden chopsticks to check; when you dip your chopsticks in the oil and see small bubbles forming, it's ready for deep-frying. Please note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature (320ºF/160℃). If you want to read more deep-frying tips, please read this post.
• Deep-fry starting with the cleaner and less astringent ingredients. For example, the cooking order would be shiso first, followed by the mushrooms, eggplant, shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kabocha. Make sure your ingredients are dry before dipping them in the batter; if they're wet, dry them with a paper towel first. While the tempura is frying, the moisture from the ingredients will evaporate and the tempura will become crispy. However, if the ingredients have extra moisture, the tempura will become soggy after deep-frying.
• When the oil reaches the right temperature, dip one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue dipping and adding one piece at a time. For the shrimp, sprinkle some flour or potato starch (or cornstarch) over it before dipping to help the tempura batter adhere. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle a bit of sifted flour on the back of the leaf, dip only the back of the leaf into the batter, and deep-fry for 15 seconds. The flour acts as a glue and the batter tends to stay on the ingredients better.
• Deep-fry the ingredients until golden brown. Do not crowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop quickly. Remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. Here's the rough cooking time for each of the ingredients: Shiso (350ºF/180ºC, 20-30 seconds), mushrooms (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), eggplant (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), shrimp (350ºF/180ºC, 2 minutes), sweet potatoes (320ºF/160℃, 3 mins), and kabocha (320ºF/160℃, 2-3 mins). Note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature than the rest of the tempura ingredients.
• Transfer the tempura to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Between batches, clean the oil by scooping up the crumbs (called tenkasu), which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot.
• Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out. Prepare 3-4 Tbsp of warm tentsuyu in individual small bowls and serve the grated daikon on the side.
• Put 1 Tbsp of the grated daikon in the sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
• You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. Reheat the tempura at 350ºF (180ºC) in the oven until warm and crisp.

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Add dashi stock and mirin to a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Add soy sauce and as soon as it starts boiling, turn the heat off and put aside until required.
• Eggplant: Discard the head of the eggplant, then cut it lengthwise in half. Halve each piece again by cutting perpendicularly to the first cut. Place them skin-side up on a cutting board and slice each piece into lengths of 5mm (¼") width, keeping the narrow end of the eggplant piece intact for about 1.5cm (½"), so that it will become like a fan.
• Enoki mushrooms: Divide the enoki mushrooms into 4 bunches. Take a strip of yaki nori and wrap it around the root end of a bunch to keep the stems together. Wet the end of the yaki nori strip to glue it.
• Carrots: Julienne the carrots into matchsticks of 5cm (2") length.
• Prawns (shrimps): Remove the head, peel and devein prawns (Note 8), leaving on the last segment and the tail. Make 3 slits at equal intervals on the underside of each prawn to stop them from curling when cooked.
• Add the egg and cold water to a bowl or measuring cup, and mix well until there is no cluster of egg white.
• Add two thirds each of the egg mixture and the flour to a separate bowl, and gently mix by drawing the number 8 several times, leaving powdery lumps of flour. Keep the remaining egg mixture and flour in the fridge, as they will be added later (Note 9).
• Fill a deep frypan or pot with oil up to a minimum depth of 3cm (1¼") and heat the oil to 170C (335F). Drop a tiny amount of batter onto the surface, and if it hardly touches the bottom and returns to the surface, it is at the right temperature.
• Cook the same ingredients together unless you are serving one person at a time. The order can vary, but prawns should be cooked last. Cook in batches but do not cover more than 30-40% of the surface area of the oil with the tempura. Ingredients should be patted dry before dipping in the batter.
• Eggplants - dip in the batter to coat the entire eggplant piece, then drop it gently into the oil one by one. Cook for about 45-60 seconds until the eggplant tempura comes to the surface and you can see large bubbles around it. Flip it over and cook for a further 45 seconds or so until the eggplant becomes light when lifted and very lightly browned, then transfer to a wire rack.
• Enoki mushrooms - hold at the root with a yaki nori strip and dip the enoki in the batter, without letting go so that the yaki nori strip is not coated. Drop it gently into the oil and cook for 10-20 seconds. Flip it over and cook for few seconds. Transfer to a wire rack.
• Shiso leaves - hold the end of the stem and dip only the back side of the leaf into the batter, then drop the whole leaf into the oil, making sure that the battered side is facing the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5-10 seconds and transfer to a wire rack.
• Carrots - add all the carrot sticks to the batter. Take about a quarter of them and place on a flat wooden spatula, then slide them into the oil while holding them together. Cook for about 60 seconds until the carrot tempura comes up to the surface and you can see large bubbles around it. Flip it over and cook for a further 45-60 seconds, then transfer to a wire rack.
• Add remaining egg mixture and flour to the batter and gently mix just like the first time. Try not to mix with the batter left at the bottom of the bowl too much as they are now glutinous.
• Increase the temperature of the oil to 180C (350F). At this temperature, when you drop a tiny amount of batter it will surface straight away.
• Hold a prawn by the tail and dip it into the batter, leaving the tail uncoated. Drop it gently into the oil and cook for about 60 seconds, until it comes to the surface and you can see large bubbles around it. Flip it over and cook for a further 45-60 seconds, then transfer to a wire rack.
• Place one piece each of eggplant, enoki mushroom and carrot tempura onto the plate. Place three prawns tail-side up, then a shiso tempura. Repeat for the other three servings.
• Take a quarter of daikon per serving and gently squeeze out any water, then place it to the side of the tempura. Add a quarter of the ginger on top of the daikon.
• Serve immediately with dipping sauce in a small bowl.

TEMPURA SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make dipping sauce
• In small saucepan over moderate heat, stir together all ingredients. Bring to simmer, then remove from heat and keep warm. (DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated in covered container up to 2 days, and rewarmed over moderate heat before serving.)
• Make tempura
• Bring medium pot water to boil over high heat. Have large bowl ice water ready. Add green beans to boiling water and blanch just until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, immediately transfer to ice water to stop cooking, then drain well and dry on paper towels.
• Make several shallow cuts across inside curve of each shrimp and gently press shrimp flat on cutting board (to help prevent curling during cooking). Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.
• In large saucepan over moderate heat, heat 4 inches of oil until thermometer registers 325°F.
• In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sesame oil. Gradually and gently whisk in 2 1/2 cups ice water, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy.)
• Working in batches, using tongs or chopsticks dip shrimp and vegetables into batter and fry, turning occasionally, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes for green beans, 2 minutes for shrimp and other vegetables. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 325°F between batches and, using spider or slotted spoon, remove any residual bits of batter from oil before adding next batch.
• To fry shiso leaves, gently lay each leaf on top of batter to coat 1 side, then drop, batter-side-down, into oil and fry without turning until underside is golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Serve tempura immediately with dipping sauce.

TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• In bowl mix first 5 ingredients; add water and egg and then stir till smooth,.
• This batter is enough for 4 cups vegetables or 1 pound of fish or meat cut up.

TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• Beat egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Fold flour and cold water into egg whites until batter is just barely mixed.

TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk and pour in ice water, slightly mix. Add the flour all at once, stroke a few times with a fork just until ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be somewhat lumpy.
• 4 servings
• In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, add grated radish and ginger just before serving.
• Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F in a wok or deep-fryer. Flavor with sesame oil. Dry the vegetables well. Dust shrimp and vegetables in flour to soak up remaining moisture, shake off excess. Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the batter one by one. Drop 6 pieces at a time in hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes. To keep the oil clean, 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.

EASY TEMPURA BATTER RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a small bowl, sift the flour once or twice to remove any clumps and to make it light and soft. Set aside.
• In a separate medium bowl, gently beat egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely incorporated.
• Combine the water and ice cubes in a cup. Using a strainer, strain the water (you should have 1 cup of ice-cold water) and add it to the bowl with the beaten egg. Make sure you do not actually add ice cubes to the tempura batter.
• Add the sifted flour into the bowl with the egg and water mixture and lightly combine the flour using chopsticks . Be careful not to overmix the batter; it should be a little lumpy.

CRISPY SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• For getting straight fried shrimp tempura rather than curved ones, make slits on the underside of the shrimp's half-way through. Flip and make tiny cuts on the front belly also. Pat it dry with paper-towels. Keep aside.
• Start by placing all the ingredients needed to make the sauce in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Heat it over medium heat and bring the sauce to a boil.
• Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer.
• Continue simmering until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Off the heat and set it aside to cool.
• Now, heat oil in a wok over medium heat and allow it to heat. Tip: Make sure to maintain the same temperature and heat at all times.
• In the meantime, sift the flour. Mix the cold water and egg in a medium-sized bowl until whisked well. Remove the foam that appears at the top.
• Next, gradually stir in the flour to the egg mixture. Do not over mix and keep the batter cold at all times. It is ok to have few lumps since over mixing can cause problems. Furthermore, make the batter just before frying as the cold batter allows it to have the light texture when fried.
• Sprinkle potato starch over the shrimp.
• Now, dip the shrimp in the batter until coated well and shake off the excess.
• Finally, place them in the frying pan and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown. Tip: Make sure to not over-crowd while frying as it can make it soggy.
• Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate and remove the excess oil.
• Serve it hot with the dipping sauce.

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Whisk the cake flour and rice flour together in a medium glass bowl and divide it in half. Set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Once the temperature reaches 365 degrees F, whisk the egg, seltzer water and vodka, in a medium mixing bowl and divide it in half. Put half of the mixture in the refrigerator to reserve. Pour half of the liquid mixture into half of the dry mixture and whisk to combine, about 10 to 15 seconds. Some lumps may remain. Set the glass bowl in a larger bowl lined with ice.
• Dip the sweet potatoes into the batter using tongs, drain for 2 to 3 seconds over the bowl, and then add to the hot oil. Adjust the heat to maintain between 375 and 400 degrees F. Fry 6 to 8 pieces, at a time, until puffy and very light golden, about 1 to 2 minutes Remove to a cooling rack lined with 3 layers of paper towels set over a half sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Repeat the same dipping and frying procedure with the green beans and parsley leaves. Put the fried vegetables on a serving platter and serve the as an appetizer while preparing the seafood.
• Whisk together the remaining halves of dry and liquid batter ingredients as above and repeat dipping and frying with the shrimp and fish fillets. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, transfer the fish to a serving platter and serve immediately.

BASIC TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• To make the batter, mix the flours with a pinch of sea salt. Whisk in the sparkling water and crushed ice then you are ready to use.

SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• Start by preparing the shrimp: devein them and remove the shell right up to the tail. Make 4 to 5 small notches on the "belly" of each shrimp. This will prevent them from curling up during frying.
• Toss the shrimp in cornstarch and salt.
• Heat up oil in a pot.
• In a medium bowl, mix egg with water.
• Add flour and stir in with a fork. Do not overmix.
• Once the oil reaches 340 to 360 degrees F, dip each shrimp in batter and gently place in the oil.
• Fry 4 to 5 shrimp at a time, not to overcrowd the pot and lower the oil temperature.
• Fry each shrimp 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove onto a plate with paper towel.
• Repeat with all shrimp.
• Serve with soy sauce or Asian dipping sauce.

AIR FRYER TEMPURA

Steps:

• Peel sweet potato (or other vegetable) and slice into rounds NO THICKER than 1/4 inch.
• Soak root veggies in water while you prep other foods to wash off excess starch.
• Optional step for shrimp: make shallow slices crosswise along the underside of the shrimp. Using your fingers, stretch out the shrimp so that it lies straight, instead of curled. Traditional shrimp tempura is always straight, but you can skip this step if you don't care for it. The taste will be the same.
• Optional step 2 for shrimp: Soak prepped shrimp in sake while you make the batter to remove fishy smells prior to cooking.
• In a bowl, mix water, mayonnaise, and 1/2 cup of the flour.
• Mix salt and remaining 1/2 cup flour in separate bowl.
• While you preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees F, dip your fillings into the wet batter.
• Take your battered shrimp or vegetables and dip them into the dry flour/salt mix. Add more flour as necessary to lightly coat the outside of your tempura. The flour coating helps prevent the battered food from sticking to each other or to the air fryer basket. A thicker, dryer batter also prevents it from completely flying off the food when you air fry.
• Place tempura into the preheated air fryer basket, taking care to not overcrowd the basket. You will probably need to do this in batches.
• Spray with canola oil spray and air fry at 350 degrees. Shrimp tempura takes 8 minutes. Root vegetables take 10.
• Serve hot with tempura dipping sauce (can be purchased or homemade) and rice, or as a side to noodle dishes and bentos.