How to Make Tempura

March 13, 2013

Mmm. Hot, crispy tempura is available in almost any Japanese restaurant, and there's a good reason for that too - it's one of the most popular dishes simply because it's so delicious! 

Regardless of how good restaurant tempura is, it's actually really easy to make tempura at home, and it goes incredibly well with noodle soup! You can jazz up ramen or noodle broths by serving tempura beside it, which can be dipped into the soup for a super tasty treat. 

Tempura can be made from vegetables, seafood or meat, but obviously veggie tempura is a bit simpler to make - if you decide to use this recipe with meat tempura make sure you are careful with your cooking times, as the batter can cook very quickly but the meat will need longer to cook all the way through. 

This recipe will teach you how to make a simple tempura batter, and a lovely dipping sauce accompaniment.

How to Make Tempura (Recipe)

For the Batter:

• 1 Cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 Cup of sparkling water or beer (we recommend Asahi Super Dry)
• 1 Egg

For The Dipping Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Mirin
• 1 Tsp Sesame Oil
• 1/4 Chopped Chilli

Recipe:

To Make the Tempura:

1. Whisk together the beer or sparkling water with the egg. Ensure it is incorporated well.

2. Slowly add the flour to the mix and whisk until just combined. Your batter will still have lumps, but don't worry! If you want the very best tempura, set your bowl of batter over a bowl of ice water to keep it really cold. 

3. Chop up small, similarly sized pieces of your favourite vegetables. We recommend carrots, sugarsnap peas, pepper, baby sweetcorn and mushrooms.

4. Place all the vegetables in the batter and mix in to coat them well.

5. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and test to see if it's ready by adding a drip of batter to the oil. When the batter starts to bubble and fry, you can add the veg. Place them in the oil one at a time to avoid them clumping together, and fry only a few pieces at a time to avoid the pan losing heat.

6. When golden, remove the tempura veggies and place them on a piece of kitchen roll to absorb excess oil.

7. When ready, serve! They will stay nice and hot for a while, but if you're frying a big batch just place them in a low oven whilst you wait.

To Make the Dipping Sauce

1. It couldn't be simpler, just mix up all the ingredients together in a bowl!

Pro Tip: Tempura is best served on hot, spicy ramen noodles. Make sure you stock up from SushiSushi!