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Tempura
All the essential qualities of Japanese cooking are reflected in the preparation
of Tempura. Tempura uses fresh ingredients and exquisite presentation. Tempura
is a fried food that is light and fresh tasting, it certainly isn't greasy.
Tempura was a sixteenth century import into Japan. But tempura, like many
imported ideas, gradually adapted itself to Japanese needs and tastes. By the
late nineteenth century tempura was a popular fast food in Tokyo, sold from stalls,
today's modern tempura is made by deep-frying vegetables, fish and shellfish.
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Tempura Recipe from Mount Fuji
- Ajinomoto Tempura Oil (code 5335)
- Tempurako/cutlet coat flour (from 5334)
- 4 shrimps and 4 sillago fish (any fish will do)
- 2 small eggplants, 4 mushrooms, 1/4 pumpkin
(any vegetables go with it)
- Ninben tsuyu no moto (code 5217)
Vegetables:
- Eggplant: without removing skin, cut tip off, cut lengthwise. Cut halves into
strips.
- Mushrooms: Just wash them.
- Pumpkin: Remove seed, peel skin, cut into bite size pieces.
Fishes:
- Shrimps: remove shell, head, and spine.
- Sillago fish: Remove skin and bones. Cut into bite size pieces. Dipping sauce:
Mix Ninben tsuyu no moto and double the quantity of water and warm it up before
you serve.
- Mushrooms: Just wash them.
- Pumpkin: Remove seed, peel skin, cut into bite size pieces.
Dipping Sauces:
- Mix Ninben tsuyu no moto and double the quantity of water
- Warm it up before you serve.
Method:
 Mix
Tempurako/cutlet coat flour (100g) and water (160CC) to make the batter. Mix until
it gets a smooth texture.- Frying: In a heavy pan or skillet, fill pan to about 75% capacity with Ajinomoto
Tempura oil.
- Heat oil to 160-180C.
- Fry the harder vegetables first. Avoid using too much batter (do not put many
pieces into the pan at one time) Keep it half full. Otherwise the temperature
will decrease too quickly.
- When the outer edges look cooked, turn over. Repeat twice. Remove completed
tempra and place on rack to drain the excess oil.
- Cook vegetables first, then the seafood. Before dipping fish in batter, dust
with flour. Hold shrimp and fish by the
tail when dipping. Turn over as each piece floats to the top. Small bubbles will
form at this time. Remove to
a rack. Do not over-cook.
- TEMPURA can be served either in individual portions or on a large platter.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
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Preparation of Tempura
To achieve consistency the tempura batter is made up in small batches immediately
before it's used, and each batch is thrown away when it starts to settle. The
vegetables and seafood are cut, washed, dried, and dipped in the batter to give
them a thin, almost transparent coating. After this they're dropped one at a time
into the oil (a combination of vegetable and sesame oil), which must be constantly
kept at exactly the right temperature. The final product is perfect tempura --
crisp, golden brown, hot, and delicious.
A few tempura restaurants offer variations on the basic recipe, adding extra
ingredients to the batter to change the texture or flavor. One variation is to
add chopped noodles to the batter for a rougher and crisper coating.
Eating Tempura
The first rule of eating tempura is to get it while it's hot. Make every effort
to eat your tempura as hot as possible. When you use the dipping sauce, always
dip the tempura quickly and avoid lengthy soaking. Add a small amount of grated
radish to the sauce , which can be mixed in. Some tempura fans just a bit of salt
or lemon for seasoning.
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