Vodka Tempura Batter Recipes

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.

EASY TEMPURA BATTER RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Chill the beer or club soda. Cold temps help prevent gluten formation.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat the eggs lightly in a large bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the eggs and stir. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir but don't mix aggressively as you don't want to form gluten. Some clumps of dry flour should still be floating around in the batter, and the consistency should be a bit thinner than pancake batter. When you dunk something in it, the batter should coat the food thoroughly as excess batter gradually drips off. The batter should not be so thin that it immediately sheets off the food. If you need to thicken it, gently stir in more flour. To thin it, add beer, club soda, or water.
• Fire up. Preheat a 1-inch (2.5cm) depth of oil to 375°F (191°C), preferably in a cast-iron Dutch oven on your grill.
• Dunk the vegetables or seafood into the batter. Stir until coated. Note that if you are frying peppers or other pods (like okra), poke some holes in them so they don't explode.
• Cook. With tongs, pull the vegetable or seafood out, let some of the excess batter drip off, and slip the vegetables or seafood into the oil. Try to cook pieces of similar thickness together so they are done at the same time. Do not crowd the pot or the oil temperature will drop too low. Try to keep the oil temp above 325°F (163°C). Flip the vegetables or seafood often and fry until the batter is pale golden in color, 1 to 2 minutes. If you are doing chicken this way, fry until the white meat reaches an internal temp of 160 to 165°F (71° to 74°C) or the dark meat reaches 170 to 175°F (77° to 79°C). Don't worry about the internal temperature of veggies and seafood. They will be safe when the batter is golden. When done, lift the food out with tongs or a spider strainer and spill them onto the grate or paper towels to drain and drip dry for a minute or two.
• Serve. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve. Scoop out any bits of fried batter left in the oil before the next batch goes in. These crunchy bits are called tenkasu and can be used in sandwich wraps, as toppings for noodle dishes, and as garnishes for soups.

VODKA TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, add egg yolk and vodka; stir until well combined. Add flour and stir until just barely combined, ignoring any lumps. Do not overstir or whisk, as tempura will become chewy and heavy.

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.