Learn the fine Japanese art of tempura
DELICIOUS DELICACIES: With a new book anyone can learn to be a master fryer
One of those meals that has been seared into my memory is a tempura dinner in Tokyo. It was in a tiny place with just one cook behind the bar and six of us seated at it. He swooped one vegetable or piece of seafood after another through a batter, into a wok and onto our plates, seemingly that quickly.
We ate one piece at a time, dipping each into a simple sauce that added a little saltiness and freshness to each bite, and finishing the mushroom cap or shrimp or lotus root before the chef made us another piece.
The most impressive thing was how shatteringly crisp and light the crust was — not heavy or greasy in the slightest. Second most impressive was how the flavour of each item came through so strongly. Contrary to expectation, the breading seemed to accentuate, not overpower, the food.
It’s surprising, given how often I mention this experience almost 10 years after I lived it, that I’ve only recently started making my own tempura at home. I’m a member of the frequent-fryer club, so it’s not that I’m worried (as too many cooks are) about heating oil. I suppose I’ve been intimidated by the precision of Japanese cooking.
What I needed was a good guide, and I got one in the delightful Japanese Soul Cooking, by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat (Ten Speed Press, 2014). The book beautifully demystifies so much of Japanese cooking, reminding readers that at their heart, ramen, gyoza, tonkatsu and, yes, tempura are pure comfort food.
The book isn’t vegetarian — far from it — but the instructions for vegetable tempura alone are worth the cover price. The most surprising tip: to barely (and I mean barely) mix the tempura batter, leaving lots of lumps and unblended flour in it, and mix it up immediately before coating and frying.
And there’s more. The point is to read every bit of instruction and pay close attention. If you do, you’ll be able to produce tempura worthy of memories, too.
Vegetable Tempura
Adapted from Japanese Soul Cooking, by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat (Ten Speed Press, 2014).
Among the key steps: Maintain the right oil temperature. Drain the justfried vegetables thoroughly.
You’ll need a thermometer to monitor the frying oil.
Makes: 4 servings For the tempura:
1 lb (454 g) assorted vegetables, cleaned, trimmed as needed and cut into bite-size pieces 1/2 cup (125 mL) cake flour 8 oz (1/2 lb or 226 g) daikon radish, peeled, coarsely grated and squeezed to remove excess liquid
1/2-in. (1.3-cm) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
2 quarts (2 L) vegetable oil, for frying
1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted sesame oil, for frying
For the batter:
2 large egg yolks 2 cups (500 mL) cold water 1/4 cup (60 mL) ice cubes 2 cups (500 mL) cake flour
For the tempura: Prepare a cooking station next to the stovetop burner. Have ready the vegetables, a plate with 1/2 cup (125 mL) cake flour, and ingredients for the wet and dry parts of the batter. Set a cooling rack over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and line up your tools: chopsticks, a metal
strainer and candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer.
Pour the vegetable and sesame oils into a large, deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven set over high heat. Bring the oil mixture to 360 F, or 182 C.
For the batter: Prepare the separate wet and dry parts: Combine the yolks and water in a bowl, mixing until well-incorporated, then add the ice cubes. Place 2 cups (500 mL) of cake flour in another bowl.
When you’re ready to fry, finish
the batter: Quickly add the 2 cups (500 mL) of cake flour to the liquid, all at once. Hold 4 chopsticks together, the tips pointed down, like you’re grabbing a bottle. Stab at the batter with the chopsticks, mashing down repeatedly to combine the dry and wet parts. Do not stir; you barely want to mix the batter. (The chopsticks are much less efficient than a spoon or spatula — which is exactly the point.)
Mix for only about 30 seconds or until the batter becomes loose and liquid, with the consistency of heavy cream. It should be lumpy, with visible globs of dry flour floating in it and with unmixed flour sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Lightly coat the vegetables in the flour on the plate, then dip them into the batter one at a time. Immediately and carefully use one hand to lay each vegetable in the hot oil, working in batches. (Use, at most, half of the surface area of the oil to cook.)
Deep-fry the denser vegetables like sweet potato or carrot first, for about 3 minutes, until they turn golden brown. Transfer them to the cooling rack to drain. Repeat with the other vegetables. Cook softer vegetables like asparagus, broccoli and pumpkin for about 2 minutes.
Serve the tempura immediately, with a dish of dipping sauce and a small mound of daikon topped with ginger on the side, for each portion.