Tempura Recipe

One of my favourite Japanese foods is tempura prawns and yams. I have a large amount of zukes this year in my garden, so decided to try tempura on them. (Adapted from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/tempura-batter-recipe-2031529)

Ingredients:

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking mix flour + 2 T cornstarch
1 large egg
1 cup water
Ice cubes (for chilling the water)
Vegetables & Prawns – mushrooms, zucchini, yam, broccoli, eggplant, onion rings, cut into thin slices.

Instructions:

1. Prepare all of the veggies you plan to deep-fry prior to mixing the batter ingredients, slice thinly so the veggies cook evenly with the batter. Heat the fryer to 350 degrees. Combine the water and ice cubes in a cup.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour & cornstarch to remove any clumps and to make it light and soft. Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, gently beat egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely incorporated.
4. Once water is chilled, strain 1 cup water and add it to the bowl with the beaten egg.
5. Add the sifted flour into the bowl with the egg and water mixture and lightly combine the flour. Be careful not to overmix the batter; it should be a little lumpy.
6. The batter is now ready for immediate use. Don’t let it get warm.
7. First, lightly coat the seafood or vegetables in a little baking mix flour before dipping them into the tempura batter. This helps the batter to adhere better.
8. Dip your items into the batter gently. Too much batter runs the risk of a crispy exterior and mushy interior.
9. When ready to fry, make sure that your frying oil is between 340 F and 360 F. Any higher and it will be too crispy. Any lower and the tempura will absorb too much oil and won’t get crispy enough. Drop coated veggies and prawns into the oil without overlapping, and don’t use a basket as it will stick. Flip after a minute or so, let fry another minute or two, and remove them just as they start lightly browning. Drain on a wire rack with a paper towel under the rack.
10. Once fried, serve immediately with a coconut aminos for dipping. Tempura can get mushy if it sits too long.

EGG FREE OPTION: Quite often, tempura batters do not include egg. Some recipes include just the yolk and are crisper batters with a whole egg. Try this recipe with the flour and cold water alone if you prefer to avoid eggs.

OIL: Any oil with a smoke point that can handle the high temperatures of deep-frying will work. Vegetable and canola oils are popular and affordable choices. Traditionally, tempura is often cooked in sesame oil. Choose refined oils because the smoke point is always higher than the unrefined version.