---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
 
      Title: Tempura
 Categories: Japanese, Seafood
      Yield: 6 servings
 
           Stephen Ceideburg
      1 lb Raw shrimp, deveined
      2    Green Peppers
      1    Carrot
      1 sm Eggplant (1/2 lb
      1 md Sweet potato
      6    Shiitake mushrooms
      6    Inch piece raw squid
      2 md Onions
           Vegetable oil
           BATTER
      2    Egg yolks
      2 c  Ice-water
      2 c  Sifted all purpose flour
    3/4 c  All-purpose flour
           DIPPING SAUCE
      1 c  Ichiban dashi
      3 tb Light soy sauce
      1 tb Mirin
      1 tb Sugar
    1/4 c  Grated daikon (white radish)
      2 ts Fresh ginger, grated
 
  TEMPURA is one of the most familiar of all Japanese
  dishes, both at home and abroad. This familiar
  national dish finds its place in the Kyushu section
  because it was almost certainly invented in
  Nagasaki-not, however, by the Japanese. Between 1543
  and 1634 Nagasaki was the center of a great community
  of missionaries and traders from Spain and Portugal.
  Like homesick foreigners everywhere, they did their
  best to cook foods from their home countries, and
  batter-coated and deep-fried shrimp happened to be a
  particular favorite throughout southern Europe. The
  name tempura (from Latin tempera meaning 'times')
  recalls the Quattuor Tempora ('The Four Times', or
  'Ember Days') feast days on the Roman Catholic
  calendar when seafood, especially shrimp, were eaten.
  When the dish became Japanized, however, its range was
  extended almost infinitely. Beef, pork and chicken are
  almost the only things not prepared as tempura, and
  these all have separate deep-frying traditions anyway.
  Favorite foods for tempura treatment include shrimp,
  eggplant, snow peas, sweet potato slices, mushrooms of
  all sorts, carrots, peppers, squid, small whole fish,
  lotus root, small trefoil leaves and okra (ladies'
  fingers). The crucial factor in making good tempura is
  the batter. This should be so light and
  subtly-flavored that it could almost pass as an
  elaborate seasoning. There are only three ingredients
  in it, and all three have an equally important part to
  play in producing the sort of tempura you want. Egg
  yolk is beaten very slightly first, then some
  ice-water is added. Finally, finely sifted flour is
  added. Reducing the egg amount will make the finished
  batter coating lighter in color; more egg will make a
  golden tempura (the former is preferred in Osaka, the
  latter in Tokyo). The amount of ice-water determines
  the relative heaviness or lightness of the batter--for
  very light, lacy tempura, add more water. The flour
  should be barely mixed with the other ingredients--to
  achieve real lightness, the batter should look lumpy,
  undermixed and unfinished-looking, and it must always
  be prepared just before you use it; thoroughly mixed,
  silky batter that has been allowed to 'set' and settle
  simply will not produce good tempura. Preparation:
  Score the shrimp a few times crosswise on the
  underside, to prevent them curling-up during
  deep-frying. Tap the back of each shrimp with the
  back-edge of your knife. Core and remove the seeds
  from the peppers; trim and slice into strips. Wash and
  scrape the carrot; cut into strips about 1 1/2" long
  and 1/8" wide. Peel the eggplant, leaving 1/2" strips
  of the peel intact here and there for decorative
  effect. Cut in half lengthwise, then into slices 1/4"
  thick. Wash the slices and pat them dry with kitchen
  towelling. Peel the sweet potato and slice it
  crosswise into 1/2" rounds. Cut the mushrooms in half.
  Cut the flattened piece of squid into 1/2" squares.
  Cut the onions in half. Push toothpicks into the onion
  at 1/2" intervals, in a straight line. Then slice the
  onions midway between the toothpicks. The toothpicks
  will hold the layers of onion together in each of the
  sliced section Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot
  or electric skillet. The oil should be heated to about
  350 degree F. Make the batter in two batches . Place
  one egg yolk into a mixing bowl; add one cup of
  ice-water and mix with only one or two strokes. Then
  add 1 cup of flour, and mix as before, with only a few
  brief strokes. Prepare the second batch of batter when
  the first is used up. The batter should be lumpy, with
  some undissolved flour visible. Check the oil for
  heat: drop a bit of batter into the oil; if the batter
  sinks slightly beneath the surface, then comes right
  back up surrounded by little bubbles, your oil is
  ready. Dip each item into flour first this ensures
  that each ingredient is perfectly dry and that the
  batter will adhere well. Then dip in the batter, shake
  a little to remove any excess batter, and slide into
  the oil. Fry each piece for about 3 minutes, or until
  lightly golden. In order to maintain the oil
  temperature, make sure that no more than a third of
  the surface of the oil is occupied by bubbling pieces
  of frying food. Remove the pieces from the oil and
  drain for a few seconds. Then transfer to your guests'
  plates, also lined with attractive absorbent paper.
  You may also keep tempura warm in a 250 degree F oven,
  no longer than about 5 minutes. To make the dipping
  sauce: combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar
  in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar has
  dissolved and serve warm, with a little grated daikon
  and ginger on the side for each guest to combine with
  the dipping sauce according to taste. Dip the tempura
  in the sauce and eat.
  
  From "Japanese Cooking", John Spayde, Chartwell Books
  Inc. ISBN 0-89009-822-0
 
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