Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Ethnic Appetizers
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Koromo ( batter )
1 Egg beaten
1 c "cold" water
2 tb Dry white wine
1 c Flour
Tentsuyu(dipping sauce)
1 tb Dashi no moto( fish stock)
1 c Water
2 tb Mirin( sweet rice wine )
Or 1 tbs sugar
2 tb Sake ( or dry white wine )
1/4 c Soy sauce
Ginger root to taste
Vegetables & fish: EX:
Carrots, onions, mushrooms
Peppers, zucchini, snow pea,
Squash, eggplant etc. etc.
"okra "
Shrimps, crab, scallops,
Squid, cod. etc. etc.
Before you begin here a few essential tips to
remember: youUll need a deep thick wall pan ( wok o.k.
), filled with 1 inch of peanut oil preferred ( Never
lard or shortening ),slice vegetables thin enough for
even cooking, fry in small batches and never crowd,
and have the temperature of the oil from 340 for
vegetables or 360 degrees for fish. Cold water in
batter is a must to keep the flour from being sticky
.Do a trial try of frying so youUll know how long
vegetables or fish need to cook. Author did not
mention poultry but I surmise it would be cooked as
the fish is. Vegetables and fish were the initial
things cooked this way in the history of tempura due
to their trade with the Portuguese and Dutch
merchants. Make the batter: Beat egg with water. Mix
in flour and whisk quickly. Set aside. Make the
tempura dip: Boil the dashi no moto ( this is a dried
soup stock from fish or poultry usually contained in
tea bag type of packing )in the water for 2 or 3
minutes. Turn off the heat and add all the remaining
ingredients. Prepare the vegetables or fish but
cutting into rings, strips, cubes etc. For fish,
dredge in flour before dipping in batter. Vegetables
are just dipped into the batter. Let excess batter
drip off with either fish or vegetables.( meanwhile
you will have had the oil preheated in the pan to the
right temperature for either fish or vegetables Drop
into oil by hand or use a tbs for vegetable cubes.
Take the vegetables or fish out of the oil when
slightly browned. Serve the tempura with the Tentsuyu
dip along with rice.Place rice in a bowl, top with
tempura and a few tbs. of the tentsuyu dip. Or serve
tempura over Japanese noodles ( soba ).
Note all Japanese ingredients may be found readily in
most supermarkets or gourmet grocers today. Also,
there are other variations in frying tempura;
this is one basic historic method. Prior to using
peanut oil, sesame seed oil was used mainly when
tempura first became popular in Japan, over 400 years
ago.
