Crispy vegetable tempura
Good tempura does not taste of frying, it tastes of the vegetable. The crust is so thin you can see the green of the pepper through it, and when you break it, it crackles briefly and stops. The secret is not technique, it is temperature: batter mixed at the last second with ice water, oil held firmly at 180°C and small batches, so the oil never cools down. The japanese tempura flour mix does half the work, because it is formulated exactly for this airy crust. The rest is the patience not to stir the batter smooth.
Instructions
-
Cut and dry the vegetables
Cut the vegetables evenly, into bite sized pieces, so they fry in the same time. Sweet potato goes thinnest, 3 mm, because it needs longer. Pat everything with paper towels until the surface is dry.
-
Make the tentsuyu sauce
Mix the soy sauce with the mirin and the warm water in a small bowl until smooth. Grate the white radish and serve it alongside, not in the sauce, so everyone adds as much as they like.
-
Heat the oil to 180°C ⏱ 8 min
Pour the oil into a deep pot, no more than half full, and heat it to 180°C. Test without a thermometer: a drop of batter sinks slightly, rises at once and sizzles steadily. If it stays at the bottom the oil is cold, if it never sinks it is too hot.
-
Mix the batter at the last second
Pour the ice water over the flour and stir eight or ten strokes, with chopsticks or a fork. Lumps stay behind and that is fine. Stirred smooth, the batter fries into a hard crust instead of an airy one.
-
Dust, dip, fry ⏱ 3 min
Dust the pieces with the dry flour, dip them in the batter and let them drip for a second. Fry four or five pieces at a time, so the oil never cools down. The crust stays pale, not brown.
-
Drain and serve at once
Lift the pieces onto a rack, not onto paper towels, otherwise the steam softens them underneath. Season with salt while they are hot and bring them to the table straight away, with the tentsuyu bowl and the lemon alongside.
Good to know
Three mistakes ruin tempura: lukewarm batter, oil below 170°C, a crowded pan. Vegetables taken straight from the freezer need to be dried well first, otherwise the batter slides off them.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my tempura turn out soft and greasy?
Warm batter or oil below 170°C are the usual causes. Keep the oil firmly at 180°C, mix the batter with ice water only just before frying and fry only four or five pieces at a time.
Can I make tempura with frozen vegetables?
Yes, but dry them well first with paper towels. Moisture makes the batter slide off and the oil spatter.
Why should the tempura batter not be mixed smooth?
Mixed smooth, it fries into a hard crust rather than an airy one. Pour the ice water over the Tempura Flour and stir just eight or ten strokes, the lumps are fine.
What sauce goes with vegetable tempura?
Tentsuyu, a sauce of Soy Sauce, mirin and warm water, with grated daikon radish alongside. Coarse salt with lemon wedges works just as well.
Ready to cook Seriosly?
Authentic taste isn't improvised, it's taken Seriosly.
Crispy vegetable tempura
Crispy vegetable tempura
Good tempura does not taste of frying, it tastes of the vegetable. The crust is so thin you can see the green of the pepper through it, and when you break it, it crackles briefly and stops. The secret is not technique, it is temperature: batter mixed at the last second with ice water, oil held firmly at 180°C and small batches, so the oil never cools down. The japanese tempura flour mix does half the work, because it is formulated exactly for this airy crust. The rest is the patience not to stir the batter smooth.
Notes
Three mistakes ruin tempura: lukewarm batter, oil below 170°C, a crowded pan. Vegetables taken straight from the freezer need to be dried well first, otherwise the batter slides off them.
