Tempuna flour is used in Japanese and Asian cuisine to make tempura batter. Tempura batter is designed for deep-frying shrimp, vegetables and hot rolls. Adjust the thickness of the batter to your taste by changing the amount of ice water.
The easiest way is to buy special tempura flour and read the recommended recipe on the package... But not everywhere such flour is on sale, not even in every supermarket in big cities. Therefore, in the list of ingredients I give its approximate composition. Instead of any flour, you can also take a portion of starch.
The following spices can be added to the tempura flour batter: curry mixture, hot peppers, garlic powder.
Mix eggs with ice water. For the batter to have the consistency of pancake batter, you need about the same volume of water as flour.
Add flour and, if desired, baking powder.
Stir the mixture manually with a fork or whisk into a more or less homogeneous mass and the batter is ready.
Add salt and spices to it to taste or depending on the purpose.
The batter must be cold for use; sometimes ice cubes are even placed in it. What I mean is that it is recommended to keep it in the refrigerator. Tempura batter is ready.
Happy experimenting!
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:
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:
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:
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 is one of the favorite dishes of the Japanese. It is fish or seafood in batter, fried in oil. It is believed that this dish first appeared in Japan in the 15th century, thanks to foreigners. Today, tempura (recipes will be given below) is on the menu of both the most fashionable establishments and simple, cheap eateries under a canopy.
Here are various options and recipes, including rolls. Choose at your discretion and enjoy.
Tempura. Classic recipe (first)
Ingredients: fish fillet (we use sea fish, 300 g), dessert wine (2 tablespoons), three eggs (only whites are needed), wheat flour (25-35 g), (10-15 g), bell pepper, butter soybean (for frying, 80-100 g).
Sauce. Dessert wine (70-80 g), (add to taste), soy sauce (30-35 g), radish, glass of water, herbs. No salt is used in cooking; you can add it at your own discretion.
Preparation. Mix both types of flour, whipped egg whites with water and wine. We get the batter. Now cut the fillet into thin strips (1.5-2 cm). Cut the onion into rings, pepper into strips (like fish), celery into cubes. Dip everything one by one into the batter and fry.
Now it's time for the sauce. Boil the ginger in wine for a minute, add chopped herbs and soy sauce. Grate the radish and add it after the sauce has cooled. The sauce is served separately from the main dish.
Tempura. Classic recipe (second)
Ingredients: peeled shrimp (large, with tails, 120-140 g), (dry, 55-60 g), seafood (squid and fish, 190-220 g), vegetables (assorted lotus (need root), zucchini, pepper Bulgarian, soybean oil (90-100 ml), pak choy (cabbage, 100-120 g), sesame seeds and soy sauce (optional).Dough: egg, water (glass), flour (two types: corn and wheat, 75-80 grams each), salt to taste.
Preparation. Wash the shrimp and place on a towel to dry. Cut the nori leaves into strips. We wrap each of these strips around the tail of the shrimp and secure it, moistening it with water. Clean, wash the squids and cut them into rings. Cut the fish (fillet) into pieces. Prepare the dough. Beat the eggs with water, add both types of flour and beat again. Fry by immersing the fish in the dough first, then the vegetables (one at a time, for two minutes, in the same oil).
We prepare the dish. First add pak choy leaves, then tempura. Serve the vegetable mixture and sauce in separate containers (bowls, saucers).
Tempura. Roll (recipe three)
Ingredients: nori sheet, crabs (can be replaced with crab sticks, 70-80 g), cucumber (medium size, without bitterness), salmon (raw, 40-60 g), Tempura powder (sold in stores, can be replaced with wheat , 35 grams each), egg, oil for frying, water, mayonnaise.
Preparation. Prepare the batter. Mix Tempura powder, eggs and a little water. Whisk.
Cut the cucumber into strips and place on a napkin (moisture must be removed). Cut the nori in half. Place dried cucumber in layers on the half, then crabs, then salmon. Squeeze a little mayonnaise along the fish (one option is to add a little cheese). Roll the roll tightly, roll in flour, then in batter and fry. Repeat the entire procedure with the second half of the nori. Tempura rolls are tender and tasty. The finished cooled rolls are cut lengthwise into pieces and poured with sauce.
In Japanese cuisine, seafood is often used raw. Sushi is no exception. But tempura can be compared with sushi (especially tempura rolls). The main difference between them is that tempura is cooked (ideally deep-fried), while sushi is not. Another very important point: in the given recipes, the minimum amount of oil used for frying is given. The old saying is appropriate here: “You can’t spoil porridge with honey.” Tempura (recipe can be varied while keeping the basics) will be much tastier and browner if you use more oil. The main thing is to remember to let it drain after frying. Bon appetit!
One of the most popular dishes of Japanese cuisine is tempura, vegetables and seafood in batter.
Not everyone knows, however, that this dish was not originally Japanese, like many other Japanese specialties, by the way.
The Japanese were taught to cook tempura by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and subsequently the dish was adapted and Japaneseized, something the Japanese are great at.
In Japan, tempura is considered a dish for special occasions and is often served in specialty restaurants. The batter is prepared in small portions, to order. Of course, tempura is used both as components of other dishes and as a snack. But if they cook a more or less decent amount, then even at home this is not done every day.
Nowadays it is difficult to find a Japanese restaurant that does not have tempura on its menu.
In most cases, however, restaurant tempura has a rather indirect relationship to the original dish.
Today I will show you how tempura is prepared in Japan.
First, let's prepare tensuyu - tempura sauce. You will need:
Boiling water, 1 cup
Dashi concentrate, 1 tbsp. spoon
Sake, 2 tbsp. spoons
As you noticed, here you need 1 ingredient that is not sold in Pyaterochka and Dixie - dashi broth (that's right - dashi, actually, but oh well). You can make this broth yourself from kombu seaweed and bonito tuna shavings, but this is a rather thorny path, so it’s easier to make it from a concentrate, which is usually sold under the Hondashi brand. The Japanese have reached insurmountable heights in the production of all kinds of food concentrates, and the result will be quite acceptable. 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dashi granules is dissolved in 1 glass of boiling water and cooked for 2 minutes over low heat. Turn off the heat and add all the other ingredients, mix and let cool.
It is customary to add grated ginger to the finished tentsuyu sauce. It is better to grate it immediately before eating so that the color and aroma are not lost.
We prepare the vegetables and seafood that we plan to use. In Japan, onions, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, eggplant, asparagus, sweet potatoes, shrimp, cod, crab, squid, scallops and much more are commonly used.
I took asparagus, bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, zucchini, onions and shrimp.
Cut the asparagus stalks into 3 parts, first removing the thick and rough tip, and secure with a toothpick
One type of tempura is called kakiage. This is a mixture of julienned vegetables, very tasty (but greasy).
I used the standard set - carrots + zucchini + onions
Cut carrots into strips
Add zucchini
Then the onion, cut into half rings, and mix everything properly.
Cut the eggplant into circles about 1 cm thick, and cut the sweet pepper into 4 parts.
Now let's cook the shrimp. If you simply peel them, they will curl up and look rather tatty. So we'll pull them out.
To do this, you need to use a sharp knife to make not very deep cuts along the entire length of the abdomen of the peeled shrimp, every 2-3 mm.
Then we place the shrimp on its belly (it has already straightened up) and either lightly slap it on top with the flat of a knife, or with our fingers, pressing it to the board, slightly stretch it from the former head to the tail.
Besides the freshness of the ingredients used, there are two important factors that determine the final result of preparing tempura.
First of all, it's batter. He must be
1) Fresh
2) Very cold
3) Heterogeneous
4) Consist of three, maximum four ingredients - flour, water and eggs. The fourth ingredient could be sake.
Stores sell a special tempura mixture. You can probably cook something with it too, but I'd be careful. The last time I looked at the ingredients of this mixture, in addition to starch, baking powder and other similar additives, I found garlic and turmeric in there. The mixture, however, was Korean, and I admit that in Korea tempura is prepared with garlic, like almost all Korean dishes. But not in Japan.
Secondly, this is deep frying oil. Ideally, it should be as refined as possible, not contain any flavors or aromas, and accordingly used for the first time. And most importantly, it should have a constant temperature of 190 C. As soon as the temperature of the oil drops, the tempura will become soft and not crispy. It makes sense to heat the oil before preparing the batter.
So, for the batter you will need:
Lightly beaten egg, 1 pc.
Ice water, 2 cups
To maintain the coldest possible temperature, the bowl of batter can be placed in a larger bowl with ice first.
Then pour in the flour, mix water with egg and sake separately. Everything must come from the refrigerator!
Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and stir the batter lightly with chopsticks. If you use a whisk, the batter will turn out homogeneous, but we don’t want that.
Ideally, there should be small lumps of flour in it.
That's all - all that remains is to dip the vegetables and shrimp in the batter, deep-fry and fry for about 3 minutes.
It's best to monitor the temperature of the oil with a thermometer, and when it drops, let the oil heat up again before the next serving of vegetables.
One more thing - for kakiage to turn out well, it is convenient to put each portion in a small bowl, add about 1.5 tbsp. spoons of batter, mix, and then add to the oil.
The size of one serving of kakiage should be approximately 8x6 cm.
Something like that. Tempura is usually served with white Japanese boiled rice if it is the main course.
Bon appetit!
By the way, I started blogging recently, so I will be glad to everyone who adds me as a friend.
PS Just in case, here is the full list of ingredients used:
For tensuyu
Boiling water, 1 cup
Dashi concentrate, 1 tbsp. spoon
Sake, 2 tbsp. spoons
Japanese soy sauce, 1/4 cup
Mirin, 2 tbsp - can replace 1 tbsp. spoon of granulated sugar
For the batter
High quality wheat flour, unsifted - 1.5 cups
Lightly beaten egg, 1 pc.
Ice water, 2 cups
Sake, 2 tbsp. spoons, optional
Frying oil, 1 liter
Peeled and grated ginger to taste
Carrot 1 medium
Zucchini 1 medium
1 large onion
Sweet pepper, 1-2 pcs.
Eggplant 1 medium
Asparagus, 7 stalks
Tiger shrimps, 9 pcs.
Tempura is a popular Japanese dish that can be found literally everywhere in the Land of the Rising Sun. It is served in fashionable restaurants, in ordinary cafes, and on the street “under a canopy.” However, not only the Japanese adore tempura; the recipe for this dish is also widely used by Europeans. What is tempura and what is its secret? Tempura is fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, dipped in a special batter (batter) and fried in a deep frying pan with boiling vegetable oil. Thanks to a special tempura batter, each product retains its exquisite original taste, despite heat treatment.
How to make tempura batter?
To make a quality tempura batter, you only need three ingredients: tempura flour, ice water and eggs. Regular flour will not work in this case; the taste of the dish will be completely different. It is necessary, which has a special composition - rice and wheat flour, potato starch and salt.
To prepare one serving of tempura batter you will need:
80 g tempura flour
100 g ice water
1 raw chicken egg
Cooking method:
1.
Beat the egg in a deep bowl.
2.
Add ice water there and mix well.
3.
Add the tempura flour mixture and use a fork or whisk to lightly whisk the contents. Don't worry if there are some lumps in the mixture. They are even necessary for good frying. Japanese chefs claim that lumps and air bubbles give tempura an airy feel.
Chef secrets
1.
To make the tempura truly tasty, the batter must be prepared immediately before use.
2.
For tempura, only fresh ingredients should be used.
3.
The bowl with the dough should be kept away from the fire, otherwise the dough will become sticky.
4.
During the frying process, do not change the temperature (reduce or add heat).
Tempura recipe
To prepare this Japanese dish you will need the following ingredients:
10-12 tiger prawns
10-12 pieces of fish fillet, approximately 1 cm thick (this could be salmon, tuna, etc.)
1 large squid
1 large red bell pepper
1 carrot
1 onion
5 fresh champignons
Refined vegetable oil (for frying)
Tempura batter
Cooking method:
1.
Peel the tiger prawns and use the blunt side of a knife to squeeze out excess liquid from them, this is necessary so that they do not curl when frying.
2.
On the inside (the so-called “belly” of the shrimp), make several small cuts and pull lightly to straighten the shrimp.
3.
Cut the cleaned squid into 5-6 pieces. Make cuts along the edges so that it does not curl when frying.
4.
Cut the peeled pepper lengthwise into strips 1-1.5 cm thick.
5.
Wash the champignons, cut off their stems (only the caps are used to make tempura).
6.
Cut the peeled carrots diagonally into strips 3-5 mm thick.
7.
Cut the onion crosswise into rings 5 mm thick.
8.
Gently roll all the ingredients in the tempura flour and let sit for a while.
How to fry tempura?
Pour enough refined vegetable oil into a deep frying pan so that you can immerse the prepared products almost entirely. Put the oil on gas as soon as you start kneading the batter. Before frying food, check the oil for readiness - drop a little batter into it, if it boils, then you can start frying the tempura.
Dip a few pieces into the batter and place them in boiling oil. You only need to rotate each slice once. As soon as the piece is covered with a crispy crust, you need to take it out and shake off the excess oil. The Japanese believe that if you leave a product in a frying pan, the taste of the dish will disappear.
After frying, place the pieces to dry on a paper towel, and place the pieces side by side, not one on top of the other, so that the finished dish does not turn out soggy. Before each new batch of frying food, clean the pan of any remaining drippings or crumbs.
Properly cooked tempura is golden in appearance, crispy on the outside and very tender and fluffy on the inside. There is practically no taste of fat in it, which is very surprising for a product cooked in oil.
Serve tempura with soy sauce, it will perfectly complement the taste of this dish!
Bon appetit!
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