The recipe and secrets for making a crispy and light tempura
Tempura is one of the most popular (and tasty) dishes in Japan. This term refers to the classic Japanese stir-fry, made from vegetables and shellfish. The recipe, for a perfectTempura, is quite simple, but it is essential to know the secrets to make the batter crispy just right and the dish dry and light.
Tempura: the ingredients for batter and how to prepare it
To cook excellent Tempura, we must choose, first of all, quality Japanese ingredients and use professional Japanese utensils. Frying, in Japan, is fish-based – shrimp are especially used, such as the
Black Tiger Nobashi Ebi
– and vegetables – zucchini, bell peppers, squash, lotus root.
The perfect tempura should be very light and not very greasy.
Here are the ingredients for the batter
- 1 egg yolk
- Frozen sparkling water (about 100 ml)
- 100 g sifted flour
- Halls
Preparation
To prepare Japanese Tempura you must beat the yolk of the egg with ice water and then add the flour, little by little, with the settaccio. Stir the batter a little , so that it is coarsely mixed, leaving an amount of lumps.
Add a little salt-more or less, depending on your taste-and, finally, store the bowl in the refrigerator, letting it sit for about fifteen minutes, before starting to fry.
How to Fry Tempura
After cleaning and preparing the fish and vegetables into not-too-thin slices, you can proceed with frying. Dip each piece in flour and then in batter, coating the entire surface well.
Pour plenty of seed oil into a frying pan and let it heat until it reaches the temperature about 170°C . Fry the ingredients, first on one side and then, when the batter has browned, flip to the other side.
The key to making the breadcrumbs coarser and crispier is to drip some batter on the piece of vegetable or shrimp at the beginning of cooking, and with the help of a skimmer make sure that as many drops of tempura collect on the piece being cooked as possible.
Secrets to a Perfect Tempura
To cook an excellent Tempura you have to follow some simple but very useful tips to be able to make a crispy, light fry without too much oil.
Secrets of the original Japanese recipe
- Use cold ingredients: pn order to get a batter that is crispy just right, the first tip is to use all the ingredients cold. The containers, where the batter is processed and the vegetables are prepared, should also be metal and cooled before use.
- Help yourself with a professional skimmer: another secret is to lift from the pan, using a
professional skimmer
, the bits of batter that remain in the oil during frying, to prevent them from burning and altering the flavor. - Pay attention to oil temperature: it is important to maintain the same temperature Of the oil when frying Tempura. We will need to cook a few ingredients at a time and then change the oil when it is no longer suitable to continue frying. To make sure the oil is at the ideal temperature (170 to 180 degrees), you do not need a thermometer. Just dip a small piece of batter into the hot oil, if the batter sinks, the temperature is too low, if it floats immediately, the temperature is too high, if it sinks and then rises to the surface, then the temperature is fine.
- Perfectly drain excess oil: to prepare a light and dry fry, you should drain the oil well from the ingredients.
So, a round tempura basket is used, which allows the extra oil to flow through, leaving the ingredients still hot. On the bottom of the basket lay a sheet of Tempurashi paper towels, lay the tempura pieces and serve hot
If the tempura remains at a high temperature, it is easier, in fact, for the oil to slip out quickly.
Finally, transfer the ingredients onto good paper towels. (placed on a plate) to dry excess oil.
