Best Tempura Recipes

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.

BASIC TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• To make the batter, mix the flours with a pinch of sea salt. Whisk in the sparkling water and crushed ice then you are ready to use.

TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• In bowl mix first 5 ingredients; add water and egg and then stir till smooth,.
• This batter is enough for 4 cups vegetables or 1 pound of fish or meat cut up.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Add all the flour to a bowl. With the handle of a spoon, or a chopstick, mix, and stir in the ice-cold water until the mixture is slightly thicker than buttermilk consistency. Make a point of not mixing thoroughly, as tempura is renowned for lumps of flour.
• Dip sliced vegetables (zucchini, onions, eggplants, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, string beans, broccoli, wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, and bok choy) any vegetables will work but these are the most commonly used) into the batter mixture and shake off any excess.
• Deep fry vegetables in a wok or deep fat fryer (you can use a frying pan if you do not have anything else, you just need about 7cm/3 inches of clean oil) at 200C/400F/Gas 6 until the batter is light golden in color and crisp. (Any large amounts of hot oil in a kitchen, especially in woks which are not always that sturdy, scare me, please be careful and do not leave the pan unattended.) Turn the vegetables at intervals to ensure that both sides are cooked equally and then fish them out with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess oil. Place them on kitchen paper towels and eat as soon as possible. The reason that I keep going on about eating them so quickly is because as your hot cooked vegetables cool down inside the batter they begin to steam, making them less crisp as time goes on. Good tempura should be crispy and is one of those things that should be made and cooked quickly and eaten straight away.
• Pour the rice wine vinegar into a small bowl. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Taste for sweetness. Add cilantro, chile, and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and allow to sit for 10 minutes to 1 hour, for flavors to combine.;

SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix rice wine and salt. Place shrimp into the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in deep-fryer or large wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, ice water, cornstarch, egg yolk, salt, white sugar, shortening and baking powder.
• One at a time, dip shrimp into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time in the hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients. Use as batter for meats and vegetables.

AIR-FRYER TEMPURA VEGGIES

Steps:

• Mix together flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together eggs and water in another shallow dish. Stir together panko and oil in a third shallow dish. Add desired seasoning to either panko and/or flour mixture.
• Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dip in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, and finally in panko mixture to coat.
• Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Arrange half of the vegetables in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Transfer vegetables to oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining vegetables.

CRISPY SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the center of the flour. Stir in the water and egg yolk. Mix just until moistened; batter will be lumpy. Stir in egg whites.
• One at a time, dip shrimp into the batter to coat. Do not batter tails. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Whisk light soy sauce, mirin, and dashi granules together in a bowl for the sauce; set aside.
• Whisk water and egg yolks together in a bowl until well combined. Sift in flour and whisk until just combined; batter will be a bit lumpy.
• Heat vegetable oil in a wok or a deep saucepan until very hot, but not smoking.
• Dip sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, green beans, and shiitake mushrooms one by one into the batter and transfer immediately into the hot oil. Deep-fry tempura in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the wok, until batter is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat until all vegetables have been used. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA WITH SOY & DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Make the batter (see right). Cover a baking tray with sheets of kitchen paper. Start to heat a deep-fat frying pan or large wok a third full of oil and have the frying basket, or slotted spoon to hand
• When the oil reaches 190C dip some of the prepared veg briefly into the batter, shake off any excess, then lower straight into the hot oil. Don't crowd the frying basket. Fry for about 2 mins until light golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
• Repeat with the remaining vegetables in batches, dipping into the batter just before you fry them and remember to let the oil heat back up to temperature between each batch. Keep the tempura warm in the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar so that they stay crisp. They are best served immediately on a warm plate with the sauce alongside for dipping.

AIR FRYER SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• Whisk soy sauce, sherry, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, scallions, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger stir-in paste together in a small bowl. Set dipping sauce aside.
• Whisk egg, cornstarch, flour, and club soda together in a large bowl. Add shrimp and gently stir until shrimp are coated.
• Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the basket of the air fryer and set aside.
• Lift shrimp by the tail from the batter using tongs and let excess batter run off. Place as many shrimp as you can on the reserved parchment paper without overcrowding and place into the basket of the air fryer. You will need to cook the shrimp in batches.
• Cook in the preheated air fryer until desired crispness, about 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Serve with reserved dipping sauce.

FANTASTIC CRISPY TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk beer with the rice flour until very smooth.
• Add in salt and garlic powder and cayenne (if using).
• Let sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees.
• Dredge the fish or veggies into the batter coating completely with batter, letting any excess drip off.
• Deep-fry turning once until golden (about 3 minutes).
• Transfer to a piece of brown paper (a brown paper bag will do for this!).
• Season with seasoning salt.

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.

DIPPING SAUCE FOR TEMPURA VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Using a ginger grater or the fine side of a box grater, grate ginger root. Fold a 12-inch square of cheesecloth into quarters. Place the grated ginger in corner of cheesecloth. Working over a medium bowl, tightly wring the ginger in order to extract the juice. Discard the cheesecloth and the remaining root.
• Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, 3 tablespoons water, mirin, scallion, lemon juice, and vinegar to the ginger juice. Whisk to combine. Dipping sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.

TEMPURA SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make dipping sauce
• In small saucepan over moderate heat, stir together all ingredients. Bring to simmer, then remove from heat and keep warm. (DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated in covered container up to 2 days, and rewarmed over moderate heat before serving.)
• Make tempura
• Bring medium pot water to boil over high heat. Have large bowl ice water ready. Add green beans to boiling water and blanch just until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, immediately transfer to ice water to stop cooking, then drain well and dry on paper towels.
• Make several shallow cuts across inside curve of each shrimp and gently press shrimp flat on cutting board (to help prevent curling during cooking). Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.
• In large saucepan over moderate heat, heat 4 inches of oil until thermometer registers 325°F.
• In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sesame oil. Gradually and gently whisk in 2 1/2 cups ice water, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy.)
• Working in batches, using tongs or chopsticks dip shrimp and vegetables into batter and fry, turning occasionally, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes for green beans, 2 minutes for shrimp and other vegetables. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 325°F between batches and, using spider or slotted spoon, remove any residual bits of batter from oil before adding next batch.
• To fry shiso leaves, gently lay each leaf on top of batter to coat 1 side, then drop, batter-side-down, into oil and fry without turning until underside is golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Serve tempura immediately with dipping sauce.

CHICKEN TEMPURA

Steps:

• Place chicken on a flat work surface. Slice horizontally through the middle, being careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. Open the 2 sides and spread them out like an open book. Pound out the butterflied chicken breasts until thin, and slice them in half lengthwise.
• Prepare a large bowl with some ice water. Place a shallow bowl, for the batter, inside the large bowl; this is to keep the batter cold while cooking the chicken.
• Prepare batter: place beaten egg into a large mixing bowl. Sift flour and cornstarch into beaten egg. Add lemon juice, paprika, baking soda, and salt. Add club soda and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated; a few lumps in the batter will aid in creating an airy texture, so be careful not to overmix.
• Transfer the batter into the shallow bowl sitting on ice water.
• Fill a pan with 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat until glossy, or until the temperature of the oil hits 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Take the strips of chicken and fully coat them in the batter, adding them to the hot oil in sets of 2 or 3 at a time.
• Cook chicken until golden brown and crispy and no longer pink in the centers, about 2 minutes per side, and transfer to a serving tray.

SESAME TEMPURA GREEN BEANS WITH SOY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 365°F.
• While oil is heating, make dipping sauce by stirring together soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. 3Whisk together flour and sesame seeds and whisk in beer until batter is smooth.
• Toss about 10 beans in batter until coated. Add to oil 1 at a time (to keep separate) and fry, turning, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt to taste. Coat and fry remaining beans in same manner.
• Serve beans with dipping sauce.

TEMPURA BATTER FOR FISH AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Stir together flour, cornstarch and salt.
• Make a well in the center.
• Combine ice water or beer and egg yolk, beating with a fork or whisk until frothy.
• Add all at once to dry ingredients.
• Slowly stir just until moistened; DO NOT over stir,a few lumps should remain.
• Fold in beaten egg whites.
• Use batter immediately.
• Heat oil or shortening to 400°F.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Dip fish, shrimp or vegetables into batter, swirling to coat.
• Fry a few pieces at a time 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Note: Make sure your vegetables are very very dry so the batter will stick better.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat. As soon as the dipping sauce comes to a boil, turn off the heat.
• Combine the yolks and water in a bowl, mixing until they're incorporated, then add the ice cubes (the "wet" part of the batter). In another bowl or container, add the flour (the "dry" part of the batter).
• When you're almost ready to cook the tempura, reheat dipping sauce over low heat. Grate the daikon on the coarsest side of a box grater. Squeeze out excess liquid and set aside. Grate the ginger finely and set aside. Keep the sauce warm while you prepare a tempura cooking station.
• To prepare a tempura cooking station, beside your burner, arrange the vegetables, a plate with the ½ cup of cake flour, and the wet and dry parts of the batter. Also, ready a tray lined with paper towels or newspaper to absorb the excess oil from the cooked vegetables, and the tools you'll need: chopsticks, a metal strainer, and a candy thermometer, if you have one. Place a cooking vessel on the burner; use one with a uniform size to heat oil evenly, like a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven (don't use a wok). Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil.
• Heat the oil to 360°F over high heat. When the oil has reached 360°F, prepare to cook the vegetables in batches. Be careful not to overfill the skillet, which will lower the cooking temperature; use, at most, half of the surface area of the oil to cook. While the tempura is cooking, check the oil temperature with a candy thermometer. Regulate the heat to maintain a constant 360°F oil temperature. If the oil is too hot, the tempura will burn; if too low, the tempura will come out soggy and greasy.
• When you're ready to cook the tempura, quickly add the flour (the "dry") to the liquid (the "wet"), in one shot. Hold 4 chopsticks together, the tips pointed down, like you're grabbing a bottle. Stab at the batter with the chopsticks, mashing down again and again to combine the dry and wet parts. Do not stir; you barely want to mix the batter. Mix for about 30 seconds, or until the batter becomes loose and liquidy, with the consistency of heavy cream. It should be lumpy, with visible gobs of dry flour floating in the liquid, and with unmixed flour sticking to the sides of the bowl. Remember, if you overmix the batter, you'll ruin it.
• Lightly dredge the vegetables in the reserved cake flour, then dip into the batter. Immediately lay the vegetables in the hot oil. Working in batches, deep-fry the harder vegetables like sweet potato, carrot, or lotus root first, for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables turn golden brown. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared tray to drain excess oil. Repeat with the other vegetables. Cook softer vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, and pumpkin for about 2 minutes. For shiso leaves, dredge only one side of the leaf with flour, and cook for about 1 minute.
• Serve the vegetable tempura with the grated daikon and ginger on the side of the warmed dipping sauce. When you're ready to eat, add the daikon and ginger to the dipping sauce and dip the tempura into it.

BAKED VEGETABLE TEMPURA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a large baking sheet.
• Combine panko and salt together in a shallow bowl. Whisk eggs in a separate small bowl. Combine broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, winter squash, onion, and green beans together in a large bowl; add flour and toss to coat evenly.
• Shake excess flour from each vegetable piece, dip into beaten egg and press into panko mixture. Gently toss between your hands so any panko crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Place vegetables onto prepared baking sheet; do not stack.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, turning occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add green onion. Serve sauce alongside vegetables.