Tempura Bacon Recipes

CRISPY DEEP FRIED BACON

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl until smooth. Separate the bacon strips, and soak in the milk mixture for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Remove the bacon from the egg mixture, and toss with the flour to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Fry the bacon strips 3 to 5 slices at a time until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Once all of the bacon has cooked, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until crispy, about 7 minutes.

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.

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:

• 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 DONBURI (RICE BOWLS)

Steps:

• First, prepare the dipping sauce by combining dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin. We used instant dashi, but if you want to make it yourself, we have detailed instructions in our Miso Soup recipe. At this point, you can also cook the rice you'll serve with the tempura.
• Next, prepare the vegetables, making sure everything is washed and trimmed. Nothing should be too wet ahead of frying, so if needed, pat the vegetables with a kitchen towel or let them sit at room temperature to dry off while you prep everything else.
• Score the shrimp with a sharp knife so that they can lay flat (you can do this lightly if you don't mind them retaining some of their curved shape). Refrigerate the shrimp until you're ready to fry.
• Next, make the batter. Stir together the ice water, cake flour, and egg yolks. No need to get rid of all the lumps-in fact, take care not to overmix it. Pop it in the refrigerator while you heat the frying oil.
• In a small deep pot, heat enough oil to fill it about halfway, over medium-high heat. While that's happening, set up a wire rack over a sheet pan or a platter lined with paper towels. When a drop of the batter sizzles vigorously but doesn't brown too quickly, you're ready to go.
• To fry, swirl one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter (for the shrimp, hold it by the tail), and lower it gently into the batter. Fry everything in batches of 3-4 items for 45-90 seconds, turning each item 3-4 times. When the vegetables are lightly golden and the shrimp are lightly golden, orange, and floating, it's ready to be transferred to the wire rack.
• Adjust the heat as needed between batches as you add cold food to the oil. The oil should be hot enough that it doesn't take too long to cook the tempura, but not so hot that the food immediately turns golden when it hits the oil.
• To assemble the tempura donburi bowls, spoon a base of steamed rice into each bowl. Top with with vegetables and a few shrimp per bowl. Serve with the dipping sauce, grated daikon (optional), and perhaps a bowl of miso soup!

TEMPURA BACON

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients (through cayenne powder) and mix well.
• Fry bacon halfway to your liking.
• Heat about ½ inch of oil in large skillet to 350°F.
• Dust bacon and onion chunks with seasoned flour, shake off excess (I use a mesh colander) and place in heated oil, being careful not to crowd, which lowers the heat and allows too much oil to soak into what you're frying.
• Fry to your desired doneness - (This is so subjective, I'm going to leave it up to you) - golden brown works for me.
• Not just for breakfast, consider also using as a garnish for a steak or on a bed of warm, braised brussels sprouts tossed in garlic and mustard.