The Secret to Crispy Tempura – Tempura Batter Recipe

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I have already shared my “losing” recipes (Cucumber Tataki & Salmon Namerou) on my blog, and today, I would like to share another one – my Tempura Batter Recipe.

Kale Tempura by alittlebitofsoy

I have been asked about this recipe several times before, and I’ve never released it. So, you might think “Why now??”.

And I would answer, “Why not?!”.

Well…, the truth is I did not like the fact that my tempura did not win over the chef’s one, and therefore, I thought my tempura recipe was too good to reveal (yep, I did NOT like it!!!).

However, in 2020 which is one of the craziest years, I have changed my mind. It is too good not to share!

My tempura is crispy and will be crispy the next day. The secret lies in my tempura batter. If you can nail the tempura batter, you are almost there to the perfect tempura. Yes, of course, you can use this wonderful Tempura Flour Mixture called ” Tempura Flour without technique”, like a lot of people do. However, if you would like to make tempura from scratch or you cannot find the tempura flour mixture, try mine.

The key is producing as less gluten as possible during the process. Tempura is a difficult dish to make requiring an advanced cooking technique. However, here today, I am introducing 4 easy tips to follow, which help us, home cooks, to make delicious tempura at home.

Tip 1 – Choice of Flours

Choose flours with less gluten content. My choice is a combination of low protein flour and corn flour. Low protein flour contains less gluten compared to all-purpose flour, so it is much easier to handle.

Tip 2 – Icy Cold Water & White Vinegar

Cold temperature slows the development of gluten from protein in the flour. Make sure to put your water in the fridge and make it really cold before use.

I also add a bit of white vinegar, which helps to slow down the development of gluten as well. This is just extra insurance.

Top 3 – Do Not Overmix

When you combine the flour mixture and the water mixture, do not overmix! As you know, mixing encourages the development of gluten. Use chopsticks or a fork and make circles 4-5 times – that’s it!!! If you can still see some lumps in your batter, it is correct and totally fine.

Tempura batter -still a lot of lumps left . It is totally fine!

Tip 4 – Keep Your Tempura Batter Cold

Same reason as tip 2. Also cold batter does not absorb much oil when deep-frying. To keep the batter cold, I put some ice-cubes into the batter.

I also recommend placing the tempura batter in the fridge until you actually use it.

Here are the ingredients for my Tempura Batter :

• 150ml of Low Protein Flour
• 50ml of Corn Flour
• 180ml of Water – chilled
• 1/2 Tablespoon of White Vinegar
• 6 Ice Cubes

Method for Tempura Batter

• Combine low protein flour and corn flour in a large bowl.
• Combine icy cold water and white vinegar in a cup.
• Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture. Mix all together with chopsticks or a fork by just making 4-5 circles. Do not overmix.
• Add ice cubes into the tempura batter. Place it into the fridge.

These are some examples of Tempura

• Protein – Prawns, Sardines, Salmon, Whiting, Whitebait, Chicken etc.
• Vegetables – Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Onion, Broccoli, Okra, Mushrooms, Kale Capsicum, Zucchini, Eggplant, Lutes Root etc.

Whitebait & Coriander Kakiage Tempura by alittlebitofsoy

How to make Tempura

• Heat oil for deep-frying to 170 °C for root veggies or 180 °C for others (or shallow fry, if you prefer. See “Deep-frying or Shallow-frying“).
• Prepare the protein and/or veggies to tempura. Wipe any excess water off from them with paper towels.
• Dip each ingredient into the tempura batter to coat evenly. Place them into oil to cook, For prawns, fish fillet or chicken, it will take about 2-4 minutes. For root veggies, it will take about 3-4 minutes. For mushrooms and other veggies, it will take about 2-3 minutes. All are depending on the size.
• Once the tempura is cooked, transfer it to a wire rack to drain excess oil. Serve while hot.

If you are not familiar with the tempura making process, you might make a lot of mess in the kitchen (flour and oil!!). You will get used to it after several trials. Practice, practice, practice… But I guarantee you that this tempura batter will be crispy whatever happens. Hope you enjoy it…

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