Tempura

Cold batter is critically important. Flour's gluten activates with heat: warm batter becomes dense and bread-like, not crispy. Ice water and ice cubes slow down gluten formation. Lumps in the batter are not a defect — they are the goal: they create the characteristic lacy uneven crust of tempura. Never beat the batter vigorously — 3–4 strokes with a fork or chopsticks is enough.

Four main mistakes. First: oil not hot enough (needs 170–180°C — a drop of batter should float up instantly). Second: too many items in the oil at once — they cool the oil and tempura steams instead of fries. Third: batter too thick — it needs the consistency of thin cream. Fourth: finished tempura covered — steam softens the coating. Serve immediately, never cover.

Dashi is a basic Japanese stock from kombu seaweed and bonito fish flakes. It forms the base of tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) and many Japanese dishes. Without dashi the sauce will be simpler: mix soy sauce, mirin and a little water — still tasty. Dashi granules or concentrate are available in any Asian grocery. Key: add grated daikon to the sauce — traditional and refreshing against the richness of fried food.

Tempura is one of the few dishes Japanese people adopted from Europeans. Portuguese missionaries and traders in the 16th century brought the technique of frying vegetables in batter (peixinhos da horta). The Japanese took the idea but completely reinvented it: lightened the batter to lacework, perfected the technique, added dashi sauce. The word tempura probably derives from the Latin tempora — a period of abstaining from meat.

Best vegetables: eggplant (thinly sliced into half-moons), sweet pepper, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, sweet potato (slice thin — otherwise won't cook through), green beans. Seafood: shrimp (with tail on — easy to hold), squid rings, scallops. Avoid: very watery vegetables (tomato, cucumber) — moisture causes the batter to burst. Important: cut everything thin and uniform, otherwise cooking will be uneven.