Japanese cuisine has long become popular, and many housewives are gradually mastering its dishes. And yet, not everyone is known and in demand. Do you know what tempura is? Be sure to find out and try this dish!

What it is?

Tempura is not a separate and specific Japanese dish, but a whole category of dishes from the traditional cuisine of the land of the rising sun. They are usually prepared from various seafood, fish and vegetables, which are dipped in batter and then deep-fried. By the way, the name “tempura” came to Japan from the Portuguese language. It is translated as “time” and long ago meant fasting.

During this period, not all foods could be eaten, but the list of permitted foods included seafood, vegetables and fish. And a popular cooking method was simply frying it in batter. Gradually, this concept migrated to Japan, where it became popular.

A variety of ingredients can be used to make tempura. The most common choice is fish or seafood, especially shrimp. But various vegetables (cauliflower, bell peppers, asparagus), sweet fruits, and less often meat can also be used. And recently they started making tempura rolls.

By the way, in Japan, chefs are especially valued who fry the batter only until it is lightly crispy, and the filling is only heated, but not fried (but in the case of raw meat or fish, this option will not work). Liquid batter is usually used, and it is prepared from flour, water and eggs.

How to cook?

Tempura dishes, as you have already understood, can be varied. Below are some interesting options.

Option one

This recipe involves using seafood as a filling.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup flour;
• 1 glass of cold water;
• 1 egg;
• 100 grams of squid;
• 100 grams of shrimp;
• 100 grams of mussels;
• vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation:

So, first prepare the filling. The shrimp should be peeled and the digestive tract (dark stripe) removed. Simply wash the mussels, and cut the squid into slices, cubes or strips.

Next, prepare the batter. To do this, break an egg into a bowl, add water, stir everything, and then add flour and mix everything well again.

If you have a deep fryer, add oil to it. If you don't have one, use a regular tall frying pan. You will need a lot of oil, since the ingredients will need to be completely immersed in it and float freely.

When the oil comes to a boil, dip the shrimp, mussel or piece of squid into the batter and place in the pan. Fry the tempura in batches until golden brown, adding oil if necessary.

Place the finished portions on paper napkins to drain the oil.

Option two

Vegetable tempura at home will be delicious. To prepare it, prepare:

• 1 zucchini;
• 1 small eggplant;
• 10 asparagus stalks;
• 100 grams of cauliflower;
• 1.5 glasses of cold water;
• 1 egg;
• 1.5 cups flour;
• vegetable oil.

Preparation:

First you need to prepare all the vegetables. Cut the zucchini into slices, and do the same with the eggplant. If the skin is thick, it can be removed. Cauliflower should be divided into inflorescences. Just wash the asparagus and cut it into small pieces. Next, you can place all the vegetables in boiling water or boil for a minute. Baking is also allowed.

Now you can prepare the batter. Mix cold water with the egg, continue stirring the mixture and add flour. The result should be a liquid dough.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and, dipping the vegetables in the batter, fry them until a light golden brown crust appears, and then place them on paper napkins to remove excess oil.

Option three

Try making fruit tempura. You will need:

• 1 apple;
• 1 pear;
• 1 banana;
• 100 grams of plums;
• 1.5 cups flour;
• 1.5 glasses of water;
• 1 egg;
• vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

Peel apples and pears and cut into slices. Remove the skin from the plums and divide them into halves. Peel the banana and cut into rings.

Mix eggs, water and flour and make a batter.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the fruits in it, first dipping them into the batter.

Remove excess oil with paper towels or napkins.

Ready!

How to submit?

Tempura can be served as a separate dish or appetizer, but some people complement it with a side dish (for example, rice) or vegetable salads (daikon is especially popular in Japan). Also, soy sauce and wasabi should definitely be on the table.

• The dough is prepared according to one recipe. For one part of water, take part of the water, as well as eggs (usually no more than two, they are used to give the mass stickiness and a beautiful shade). All this is mixed to form a mass that resembles the consistency of liquid sour cream. But there is one secret - cold water. Yes, it should be extremely cold or even icy, only then will you, firstly, get the desired consistency, and secondly, during the frying process will you achieve a light crispy crust.
• To make the batter seem airy, use mineral water instead of regular water, and carbonated water at that. Gases will form bubbles during deep frying, and the shell will be porous and airy.
• It is worth remembering that heat treatment will be minimal, because tempura is deep-fried in a matter of minutes. And therefore, if you use raw or very hard components, then it is advisable to additionally subject them to thermal effects. So, shrimp can be immersed in boiling water for a minute (if they are large), it is better to fry the meat, and hard vegetables (eggplant, asparagus) can be baked, lightly boiled or blanched.
• To make tempura dishes tasty and almost the same as those made by the best Japanese chefs, instead of regular wheat flour, use special tempura flour, which usually consists of rice flour, wheat flour, as well as starch (it can be replaced with corn flour) and sometimes spices (for example, garlic) .
• It is advisable to sift the flour, then the dough will be more airy.
• The oil used for frying must be refined and deodorized so that the finished dish does not have any foreign odors.

Bon appetit to you, your loved ones and guests!

Tempura - what is it and where did this term come from in the modern culinary world?

This is the Japanese name for a special batter in which various foods are fried. You can also make your favorite rolls in it.

Tempura - what is it and is it possible to make this dish at home?

You need to prepare this batter from an egg, ice water, breadcrumbs and a special “tempura” for making batter - what is it? And how is it different from the usual one? It consists of equal parts rice and wheat. Corn starch and baking powder are also added to it. It is better to buy this mixture in specialized stores. It is its properties and quick deep-frying that help make the products completely low-fat, melting in the mouth and very tender. This way you can cook, in addition to hot rolls, a variety of seafood (squid, fish, shrimp), and vegetables.

This method of frying has the main goal of preserving the original taste of the ingredient, presenting it in the best possible way. The Japanese learned how to cook tempura from Portuguese missionaries after seeing how they prepared fish. However, this method of cooking was subsequently adapted to local habits and taste preferences, becoming truly Japanese. Not only the composition of the batter is special, but also the technique of its preparation. Eggs, tempura flour and ice water need to be mixed, but not thoroughly, but keeping lumps and air bubbles. To ensure that the mixture does not become homogeneous, it must be done immediately before you prepare dishes in tempura batter (sushi and others). As the batter sits, it begins to settle and separate into fractions. If you fry large portions, it is better to replace it with a new one. You also need to pay attention to how the vegetables and rolls are prepared. Tempura at home can be prepared no less tasty than in a Japanese restaurant.

To do this, you need to take the freshest products, dry them well after washing, and cut them into small pieces. They need to be dipped into boiling oil in small batches.

Hot rolls

You will need special sushi rice - about a glass. In order to prepare it correctly, you also need a special one that is added to the cereal after boiling. This makes it easy to shape the sushi with your hands. You also need a cucumber leaf, salmon fillet (or any red fish), boiled shrimp, an omelette from one chicken egg, wasabi and pickled ginger. Spread a special bamboo mat (makisu) on the table. Place nori on it, and then prepared rice. Wet your hands with acidified water and smooth it out. Turn the layer over so that the nori is on top and the rice is on the bottom. Place a little wasabi in sequence, then the filling. Roll the roll with the rice facing out. Press down a little to give it a bar shape. Prepare tempura batter (we described what it is and how to prepare it at the beginning of the article), dip the roll in it, and deep-fry it. Slice with a sharp knife and serve warm. You can cut it into pieces first and then fry it. But it requires a little more skill.

A combination of any vegetables, fish, seafood fried in batter is called tempura (photo).

To cook, they are dipped in batter (batter) and fried in a deep frying pan with boiling vegetable oil. The Japanese are very fond of this dish and believe that foreigners brought the idea of ​​tempura and the method of preparation to the islands about four hundred years ago.

How to make tempura at home

How to cook tempura, main features

• Tempura is based on only the freshest ingredients. On a chef's cutting table in a Japanese restaurant, it's not uncommon to see squirming eels or bouncing shrimp fresh from the sea.
• An important element in making real tempura is the batter, which is made from eggs, flour and ice water. There is no need to knead the tempura batter very thoroughly: there should be lumps in it, and most importantly, air bubbles. To achieve this effect, the batter is prepared immediately before use.
• Another secret of tempura is that you cannot change the temperature during the frying process.
• But the main thing in the art of cooking tempura is to accurately guess the moment when the dish is ready, and in no case overdo it. The Japanese believe that products should undergo only minimal heat treatment - otherwise the entire taste of the dish will be lost. Properly cooked tempura is golden, crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside.

Tempura is not just a snack, but a whole category of dishes, including fish, meat, seafood, vegetables and even sweet fruits, which are fried in a special batter in vegetable oil. Depending on the base product used to prepare the snack, its name also changes. For example, the most popular in Japan, “ebi tempura” is shrimp in batter, and “shake tempura” is salmon in batter.

There are two options for preparing this traditional Japanese dish.

1. The products are cut into small slices and each of them is fried separately.
2. The filling for the snack is crushed and then mixed with batter and fried in the form of a thin pancake, which is then divided into small slices.

About the ingredients for tempura

• Tempura batter requires special flour. Regular wheat or rye will not work. The batter, made from our usual cereals, turns out to be too sticky. It is good for creating a “shell” for a product that does not hold its shape well (for example, pollock). But with regular flour it will be just everyday fish in batter, and not divine tempura. So it is important to purchase the right product. It’s called “tempura flour”. If we look at the composition, we will see that it includes a mixture of rice and wheat flour, potato starch and salt.
• The next product is frying oil. Tempura should be prepared using a mixture of sesame and vegetable oil.

Rules for preparing tempura

• A certain procedure must be followed to create a tempura dish.
• Cut the main product into pieces, wash and dry on a napkin. If the product is even a little wet, the batter will not spread over it into a thin film and will stick off.
• The oil must be very hot so that the dough “seizes” immediately.
• Do not increase or turn up the heat under the frying pan while preparing tempura.
• And, most importantly, you need to guess the moment when the dish will be ready. A second of delay - and it won’t be the same.
• It is important to shake off excess fat when removing pieces from the pan. Then the dough will remain crispy and the center will remain tender.

We invite you to get acquainted with some methods of preparing food in batter

Tempura, the recipe with a photo of which we will present here, is, by and large, not a dish. It is rather a specific method of cooking, such as fondue. But many Europeans consider tempura a dish of Japanese cuisine, although this method can cook everything or almost everything: seafood, fish, vegetables, fruits. But no matter what we fry, the effect is the same: it is something golden, hot, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The tempura filling seems to be very fresh. The batter-frying method allows you to preserve all the properties of the main product. Japanese cuisine is famous for using the freshest ingredients. The filigree technique of the chefs of the Land of the Rising Sun fully corresponds to the worldview and religion of the people. Let's pamper ourselves with exotic things.

History of tempura

It’s impossible to believe, but it was the Europeans who taught the people of Japan a method of heat treatment of food, which later became known as “tempura”. The recipe was introduced in the sixteenth century by Portuguese missionaries. They did not succeed in evangelizing the local population, but the gourmet monks introduced them to the possibility of frying food in batter. However, like many other things that the Japanese borrowed from foreigners, this method of heat treatment has undergone significant changes. Tempura has fully adapted to local products, and most importantly, to the tastes and food requirements of the population. The main product should float or grow in the bed five minutes before it is placed in the pan. If the batter has fallen off, it is poured out. Everything is only the freshest, prepared quickly, but with care.

Ingredients

The special batter is what gives the tempura dish its name. We will look at the recipe for its preparation a little later. For now, let’s just note that tempura batter requires special flour. Regular wheat or rye will not work. The batter made from cereals familiar to us Europeans turns out to be too sticky. Maybe it is good to create a “shell” for a product that does not hold its shape well (for example, pollock). But with regular flour it will be just everyday fish in batter, and not divine tempura. So it is important to purchase an authentic product. In supermarkets it is called “tempura flour”. If we look at the composition, we will see that it includes a mixture of rice and wheat flour, potato starch and salt. The next exotic product is frying oil. You need to cook tempura using a mixture of sesame and vegetable. Kitchen utensils you will need are a deep frying pan.

Basic Rules

We have to follow a certain order of steps to get a tempura dish. The recipe recommends cutting the main product into pieces, leveling it as necessary (the aesthetic component in Japanese cuisine is of paramount importance), washing and drying on a napkin. If the product is even a little wet, the batter will not spread over it into a thin film and will stick off. The oil must be very hot so that the dough “seizes” immediately. Do not increase or turn up the heat under the frying pan while preparing tempura. And, most importantly, you need to guess the moment when the dish will be ready. A second of delay - and it won’t be the same. It is important to shake off excess fat when removing pieces from the pan. Then the dough will remain crispy and the center will remain tender.

Tempura: batter recipe

So, we have already stocked up on the necessary flour. Now put a glass of water in the freezer for a few minutes. It should be not just cold, but icy. In a deep bowl, beat two eggs. Let's dilute them with ice water. Add 160 grams of flour for the tempura dish. The recipe with the photo shows that there are no secrets in preparing the batter. Do not stir lumps of flour with special care. And even more so, use a mixer for this. Simply swirl with a fork or pastry whisk to create bubbles in the batter. It is they and the remaining lumps of flour that give the finished tempura such airiness and crispiness. Agree: a huge difference from our usual batter. The dough must be prepared just before use. And away from the switched on stove - the heat makes the batter sticky.

Step-by-step instruction

The most popular dish, served not only in restaurants, but also in the simplest eateries in Japan, is shrimp tempura. We will look at the recipe for their preparation here to give you an idea of ​​the algorithm of actions and other main ingredients. We clean large shrimp and use a knife to squeeze the liquid out of them flat. We make several cuts on the belly to give the seafood a straight shape. Remove seeds from red bell pepper and cut into slices. Chop the carrots diagonally into strips and the onion into rings. We use only the caps of peeled champignons. Cut the fish fillet into small even pieces. All of the above products (dry and preferably chilled) are lightly rolled in tempura flour and left to rest. Pour the mixture of oils into a deep frying pan and put on fire. And only then mix the batter. Check the readiness of the oil for frying with a drop of dough. Dip pieces of main products into batter and place in a frying pan. Fry until golden. We only turn them over once! Take it out, shake off the fat and place it on a paper towel.

Tempura rolls: recipe with photos

In Japan itself, this dish is called “Americano roru”, which betrays its origin. Sushi and rolls were first dipped in tempura in the United States. But now this dish is on the menu of almost every Japanese restaurant. How to prepare tempura rolls? The recipe calls for boiling the rice first. Sprinkle it with vinegar and spread it on a wooden surface. We chop various ingredients for the roll: salmon, smoked eel. Pack the rice with a sheet of nori. Place the filling in its center: fish, Philadelphia cheese, caviar, ginger. Use a mat to wrap the roll. Place a frying pan with fat on the fire and start preparing the batter. Dip each roll in the dough and then in breadcrumbs. We take it out, shake it, put it on a sieve. Serve with wasabi.

Nobu Matsuhisa

InterContinental Hong Kong/Flickr.com

Ingredients:

• 100 g flour;
• 1 egg yolk;
• 200 ml cold water;
• 700 g of various seafood and / or vegetables;
• sesame, vegetable or rice oil.

This amount of ingredients makes six servings, but you may need more ingredients to prepare the batter. This depends on the size and shape of the seafood and vegetables, which must be completely covered in batter.

Preparation

Batter

The most important thing in tempura is the batter. To prepare it, use flour, egg yolk and cold water. According to the chef, these ingredients must be at the same temperature to ensure the batter has a uniform consistency.

Gently mix the ingredients. If you do this too vigorously, the tempura will be tough. Place the finished batter in the refrigerator.

Filling

Vegetables or need to be cut into small pieces that can fit in your mouth.

Nobu Matsuhisa likes to use eggplant as a filling because it retains its shape and remains crispy and fresh. You can also use mushrooms.

Among seafood, he prefers rock or tiger shrimp. Please note that the rock shrimp is quite large in size, and its shell is so hard that you have to use a special device to remove it. Peel, make cross cuts on the belly to prevent curling during cooking, and rinse them.

How to cook

In Japan, pure sesame oil is used to make tempura, but you can also use rice oil. Do not use olive or coconut oil as they do not have the right optimal heating temperature.

For vegetable tempura, heat the oil to 170°C and for seafood tempura to 180°C. Then dip the vegetable or seafood into the batter and place it in a frying pan with plenty of heated oil.

Cooking time will depend on the size of the tempura. If the piece sinks slightly into the oil and then floats to the surface again, the dish is ready. If the tempura sinks to the bottom of the pan, then the oil is not hot enough.

Serving the dish

Daniel Go/Flickr.com

Place the finished tempura on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Cool the dish slightly for a couple of minutes and serve immediately.

At Nobu restaurants, shrimp tempura is served with salt and lemon juice. Umami sauce, which is recognized as one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, bitter, sour and salty, is perfect for vegetable tempura. Umami perfectly complements the taste of tempura.