 |
Koromo ( batter )
1 Egg beaten
1 c "cold" water
2 tb Dry white wine
1 c flour
Tentsuyu(dipping sauce)
1 tb Dashi no moto( fish stock)
1 c Water
2 tb Mirin( sweet rice wine )
Or 1 tbs sugar
2 tb Sake ( or dry white wine )
1/4 c soy sauce
Ginger root to taste
Vegetables & fish: EX:
Carrots, onions, mushrooms
Peppers, zucchini, snow pea,
Squash, eggplant etc. etc.
"okra "
Shrimps, crab, scallops,
Squid, cod. etc. etc.
Before you begin here a few essential tips to remember: youUll need
a deep thick wall pan ( wok o.k. ), filled with 1 inch of peanut oil
preferred ( Never lard or shortening ),slice vegetables thin enough
for even cooking, fry in small batches and never crowd, and have
the temperature of the oil from 340 for vegetables or 360 degrees for
fish. Cold water in batter is a must to keep the flour from being
sticky .Do a trial try of frying so youUll know how long vegetables or
fish need to cook. Author did not mention poultry but I surmise it
would be cooked as the fish is. Vegetables and fish were the initial
things cooked this way in the history of tempura due to their trade
with the Portuguese and Dutch merchants. Make the batter: Beat egg
with water. Mix in flour and whisk quickly. Set aside. Make the tempura
dip: Boil the Dashi no moto ( this is a dried soup stock from fish or
poultry usually contained in tea bag type of packing )in the water for 2
or 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add all the remaining ingredients.
Prepare the vegetables or fish but cutting into rings, strips, cubes etc.
For fish, dredge in flour before dipping in batter. Vegetables are just
dipped into the batter. Let excess batter drip off with either fish or
vegetables.( meanwhile you will have had the oil preheated in the pan
to the right temperature for either fish or vegetables Drop into oil by
hand or use a tbs for vegetable cubes. Take the vegetables or fish out of
the oil when slightly browned. Serve the tempura with the Tentsuyu dip
along with rice.Place rice in a bowl, top with tempura and a few tbs. of
the tentsuyu dip. Or serve tempura over Japanese noodles ( soba ).
Note all Japanese ingredients may be found readily in most supermarkets
or gourmet grocers today. Also, there are other variations in frying
tempura;
this is one basic historic method. Prior to using peanut oil, sesame seed
oil was used mainly when tempura first became popular in Japan,
over 400 years ago.
|
