Japan – Prawn Tempura

by Zayna Khan

Tempura is actually a very famous Japanese snack that is made up of anything like meat strips, chicken pieces, vegetables, seafood like prawns, shrimp, fish fingers, etc. This is a fried dish that is dipped into a seasoned batter made up of flour, egg, water, salt, baking powder and fried. Some added breadcrumbs over the coated batter and some fried it as it is dipped into batter. This is famous for seafood, especially prawns. Prawns tempura is a very famous dish, as a snack, it is served everywhere. It is easy to cook and very delicious. To cook prawn tempura takes almost 20 minutes. We need to make a flour batter, dip prawns into it and fry in cooking oil. For proper crunchiness, crispiness, the moderate temperature of the oil is essential. Fry until the nice crunchiness appeared and the color of the batter turned golden to light brown.

Fritters are also a very similar dish that is the same in crunchiness, texture but has different origins and tastes according to the ingredients added on. This dish has pure Japanese Origin and taste by the addition of Japanese herbs and ingredients. This taste is very mild in spices and the main thing is the texture. The texture is maintained by the consistency of the batter. If we have thick batter consistency it will make tempura very hard even hard to break. And too-thin consistency makes it dripped off from prawns and mixed into frying oil. The coating makes it the thing to admire.

The word Tempura originated from the Latin word, means ”SEASONED”

ORIGIN OF TEMPURA

The tempura was first time invented from EDO PERIOD when stalls are made riverside. The main thing about tempura being famous is seafood. It became so famous at that time, that it even added to the sauce and served as JAPANESE DELICACIES. It is added to soups, noodles, curries, rice platters, etc. Tempura Sushi is also very famous dish nowadays.

VARIETIES OF DISH IN WHICH TEMPURA ARE USED

TEMPURA UDON

Udon is a dish of thick wheat noodles, usually made in broth by adding some vegetables, etc. It also has a non-vegetarian version in which beef strips are added, fish can be added, prawns, etc. But this dish has a special element that can be added and make a fusion of two dishes together that is tempura. Udon and tempura together is a great meal to relish. With the thick noodles, a bite of crunchy prawns is like the best thing ever. This dish is very famous because apart from snacks, this is a whole bowl of a meal with wheat noodles, soup, meat, vegetables, tempura.

TENZARU

This is a chilled soba soup dish that has the addition of tempura into it. This dish is served over the bamboo strainer from the EDO PERIOD. This is actually a chilled noodle dipped into very thick broth or you can soy sauce. This sauce is usually soya sauce and mixed with mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, seeds, herbs, etc. It has only a few vegetables to be added on like spring onions, bell pepper, sometimes mushrooms, etc. This is famous as fast food.

VARIETIES OF TEMPURA

1.SHISO TEMPURA

Tempura is like anything dipped into tempura batter and fry. Shiso leaf is a herb of the mint family that is a very common herb in Japan. Can be added into many Japanese dishes, so it is also added as the main ingredients to be formed as tempura. It is purely a vegetarian dish. Just a leaf dipped into the tempura batter, fry, and serve with some sauce.

2.MUSHROOM TEMPURA

For mushroom lovers, this dish is for you guys. Mushroom is a vegetable that has a very strong flavor itself. It is dipped into mild batter and frying makes it softer inside and crunchier from outside. This mushroom tempura is very delicious. Soft vegetable with its full flavor. Crunchiness by the batter and even you can add bread crumbs.

3.PEIXINHOS DE HORTA

This dish is inspired dish from tempura. It is from PORTUGUESE CUISINE. The name of the dish translated as COLORFUL FISH FROM GARDEN. They use different vegetables dipped and fried in the same plate like :

• Bell peppers
• Green beans
• Carrots
• Squash

4.BLACKBASS FISH TEMPURA

This is special fish to be cook in tempura. Black bass is the fresh water fish, Its strips are cut and then cooked as tempura.

VARIETY OF INGREDIENTS USED IN TEMPURA

MEAT

• Prawns
• Shrimp
• Catfish
• Black bass
• Crab
• Squid
• Ayu
• Skates
• Pollock
• Haddock
• Cod
• Eel, etc.

VEGETABLES

• Bamboo shoots
• Bell pepper
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Green beans
• Lotus root
• Yam
• Radish
• Broccoli
• Squash, etc.

INGREDIENTS OF DISH

• Prawns : 200 grams
• Oil : for frying

BATTER

• Plain flour : 1 cup
• Eggs : 2
• Baking powder : 1 teaspoon
• Salt : 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper : 1 teaspoon
• Water : to make batter

TEMPURA DIP (TENTSUYU)

• Dashi : 2 cups
• Mirin : 1 cup
• Soy sauce : 1/2 cup

COOKING METHOD

• This is very simple cooking technique used to make this dish.
• Assemble all the batter ingredients, like flour, eggs, salt, pepper, and mix them well.
• Add water to make a normal consistency batter, not too thin or thick.
• Now wash the prawns and dry them.
• Pre heat the oil for frying.
• Dip the prawns into batter and fry them on low to medium flame.
• Cooking take 5 minutes to tender the prawn.
• On other side, assemble all the tempura dip ingredients together, cook them together for 5 minutes that makes it thick.
• Tempura are fried then serve it with sauce.
• Enjoy 🙂