A Japanese culinary masterpiece remains incomplete without vegetable tempura. This Japanese delight is so tempting that hardly anyone can resist having it. Nicely coated in a flour batter and deep-fried, the veggies cook perfectly from the inside and give a superb taste. The cooked vegetables add natural sweetness to the dish. Pairing this dish with grated daikon makes it more tempting. Before sharing the recipe, you must know that making tempura is tough.

What is Tempura?

Making a perfect tempura is so challenging that sometimes even chefs cannot make it error-free. Hence, if your homemade tempura does not turn perfect, do not feel like a failure. With practice and concentration, you can surely make restaurant-style tempura at home. Your prime focus should be on making crispy tempura. So, let us unlock the key to making crispy tempura at home with minimum errors.

Batter consistency and temperature regulation are prime in making the tastiest tempura. Your batter should be perfect- neither too runny nor too dense. If it is watery, you won’t get a fluffy and crispy tempura. If it is too thick, it feels as if you are eating cooked flour. Mix an equal amount of flour and water to prepare the batter. And yes, there is a technique to mix tempura batter, i.e., with chopsticks. Use a chopstick, mix this batter for around one minute, and do not leave this batter lump-free. In this batter, lumps are acceptable. Lastly, the tempura batter must be ice-cold. Prepare the batter and refrigerate it. Remove them before frying.

I received several comments asking which oil I use for frying tempura. I mostly use sesame oil to deep-fry tempura. However, you may combine varying oils to give your tempura an authentic taste. Most Japanese eateries serving authentic tempura use this technique. Hence, you may either use sesame oil or adopt this Japanese technique. Once you add frozen tempura to the oil, the temperature will decrease. Thus, warm the oil nicely before adding tempura.

The challenging task when making tempura is frying them. Temperature regulation is prime in frying tempura, and if you are unsure whether the oil’s temperature is moderate or not, I suggest you use a thermometer. Do not overcrowd your frying pan with uncooked tempura. I suggest you fry not more than four tempura at a time. If you add too many tempura at once, the temperature will decrease. Similarly, if the oil turns too warm, add fresh oil to reduce the temperature.

Ingredients

Yields up to around two servings

• 1 Chinese or Japanese eggplant
• 1 Japanese sweet potato
• 1/8 kabocha squash
• 4 shiso leaves
• 2 inches lotus root
• 2 king oyster mushrooms

For the batter

• ¾ cup+4 teaspoon chilled water
• 50 grams chilled egg without shell
• 1 cup chilled flour

For the sauce (Tentsuyu)

• ¾ cup dashi
• 2 Tablespoon mirin
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sugar

For frying tempura

• Flour (For sprinkling in the shiso leaves)
• 4 cups neutral oil

For serving

• 2 inches grated daikon radish

Before directing you to the steps in making crispy tempura, I suggest you use proper measurement, as the accurate measurement is key to perfectly cooked tempura.

Directions to Make Tempura

First, let’s begin with the sauce:

• To prepare this appetizing sauce, add dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar to a pan and let it simmer. Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame and let it cook until it thickens. Your sauce is now ready.

• Once fried, place the veggies on the serving tray.

• Your tempura is almost ready. To make the dish look presentable, serve it with grated daikon radish and tentsuyu.