Tempura works as a real dish and as an appetizer. If you are serving only a couple of people, it’s easy to deep fry. It’s when you have a crowd that it gets difficult. But if you want to deep-fry a few tidbits of fish, shrimp, chicken, and/or vegetables for a number of people, tempura is among the lightest and easiest of the batter-fried foods. Serve immediately; like many fried foods, its best eaten standing up, around the stove. But it will hold in a low oven for a few minutes.
Ingredient:
- Neutral oil or peanut oil, like grape seed or corn
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds assorted vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, winter squash or sweet potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, green beans, broccoli or cauliflower, leeks, onions
- 1/2 pound seafood or chicken: firm white fish, like cod or haddock, cut into chunks; 6 to 8 large shrimp, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise; or chicken tenders, cut into thin strips
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dredging
- 3 egg yolks
- Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade or lemon wedges
Methods:
- Put at least 2 inches of oil in a deep pan on the stove over medium-high heat; bring to 350°F. The broader the vessel, the more of these you can cook at once, but the more oil you will use.
- While the oil is heating, prepare the vegetables, the meat and the sauce. When you’re ready to cook, combine 2 cups water and 2 cups ice; let them stay for a minute, and then measure 2 cups water from this. Beat lightly with 1 1/2 cups of flour and the egg yolks; the batter should be lumpy and quite thin.
- One piece at a time, dredges the vegetables and shrimp in the remaining flour, then dip in the batter.
- Fry each piece until golden, turning once if necessary, less than 5 minutes total. Drain the extra oil on tissue paper and serve immediately, with the dipping sauce or lemon wedges.
Eggless Vegetable Tempura. Club soda adds airiness to these two-ingredient batter and makes a nice light coating for delicate vegetables like thinly sliced eggplant or even leaves of spinach or chard: Omit the egg yolks and substitute well-chilled sparkling water for the ice water. Use rice flour if you prefer.
Pakoras. The batter-fried vegetables of India, good served with any dipping sauce or wedges of lime.
Make a thick batter by mixing together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon peanut or neutral oil, and about 1 cup water (or milk). Season the batter with 1 tablespoon curry powder.
Dip (you need not pre-dredge in flour) and fry as directed. Serve with Cilantro-Mint Chutney, any of the recipes under Chili Paste, Eight Ways, any hot sauce, or lime wedges.
Ten Excellent Dipping Sauces for Tempura and Pakoras
For Tempura:
1. A mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar
2. Basil-Soy Dipping Sauce
3. Simple Miso Dipping Sauce
4. Homemade Mayonnaise with wasabi
5. Dashi Dipping Sauce
For Pakoras:
1. Simplest Yogurt Sauce or any of its variations
2. Coconut Chutney
3. Cilantro-Mint Chutney
4. Curry Ranch Dressing
5. Smooth Green Chili Sauce, Indian Style
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