Tempura – Vegetables and Fish Pt 1

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

KOROMO; (BATTER
TEMPURA DIP
VEGETABLES AND FISH
A long time ago (about 400+ years back), when Japan was trading with
Portuguese and Dutch merchants, tempura was introduced to the country as
the style in which these merchants cooked vegetables and fish. Tempura was
not popular among Japanese people until the late Edo era. A tempura street
vendor started to serve tempura-fried sh caught fresh from Tokyo Bay, and
it became popular with the common people. Sesame seed oil was mainly used
in those days.
It seems very hard to learn the knack of tempura frying. With a little
help, though, tempura deep frying can be so simple that you will want to
show off to your friends. The main ingredients are vegetables and fish of
your choosing. There are a few points that you have to remember: 1) slice
the vegetables thin so they can be fried in a short time; 2) you will need
a deep, thick-walled pan (a wok is OK) filled about 1 inch deep with peanut
oil (try other types of oil if you like, but never add lard or shortening);
3) deep-fry in small batches so you can maintain the temperature of the
oil; and finally 4) tempura-fry vegetables at 340F and fish at 360F.
Ingredients:
[Koromo (batter)]
Using cold water (about 40F) is a must. This keeps the batter from becoming
sticky. When you add the flour, whisk quickly just to mix it in evenly.
Sticky batter results in oily tempura.
Beat the egg and mix with water. Add flour and whisk quickly.
[Tentsuyu (tempura dip)]
1 tablespoon dashi no moto in 1 cup of water, boiled for two to three
minutes 2 tablespoons mirin. You can replace this with 1 tablespoon sugar 2
tablespoons sake or dry white wine 1/4 cup soy sauce ginger root to taste,
freshly grated (optional) After you boil the dashi, turn off the heat and
add the rest of the ingredients.
[Vegetables & Fish] (ingredients and preparation suggestions)
Carrots, cut into thin sticks (i.e. 1 1/2 inches long) Onions, sliced Green
pepper, cut into rings or any way you want Eggplant, thinly sliced
Broccoli, prepared as for a for salad Green onions, (see mixed vegetable
tempura -- kakiage) Zucchini, thinly sliced Mushrooms, halved, or whole if
small Green beans, halved lengthwise, or whole Asparagus, bite-sized
(deep-fry 3 or 4 sticks together) Butternut squash, bite-sized thin slices
Okra, halved lengthwise Snow pea pods, whole
Cod, bite-sized Shrimp, peeled, whole. Dip shrimp in the batter by holding
the tail fin, and fry two or three at a time. Scallops, whole if small
Crab, break shell and expose meat before dipping in batter Squid, sliced
into rings or strips Dredge fish in flour before dipping in batter.
Directions:
Heat the oil to 340F or 360F. Dip the vegetables or fish in the batter and
place them in the oil. If it is difficult to handle the vegetable chunks,
you may use a tablespoon to drop them in. Do not fry too much at a time, in
order to maintain the temperature. Take the tempura out of the oil just
when the batter gets SLIGHTLY brown. Vegetables usually take less than two
to three minutes. Remember: the thinner the vegetable, the faster it cooks.
For fish, the time to pull it out is when the batter turns very slightly
brown. It is good idea to do trial frying in the beginning. Taste it and
decide how long it will have to be fried. Once you get the timing right,
the rest is simple.
Serve with tentsuyu. Tempura is also served with rice. This is called
ten-don. Put warm rice in a bowl or on a plate and place tempura on top of
the rice. Pour on two or three tablespoons of tentsuyu. Another popular way
of serving tempura is over a bowl of noodles. This is called tempura-udon
or tempura-soba, and it is traditional Japanese fast food.
continued in part 2

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