How to Make a Tempura Batter

Tempura is a wet batter associated with Japanese cuisine and is used to add a crisp, light coating to seafood and vegetables. Tempura batter absorbs less oil than some of its heavier counterparts, making it a healthier option for deep-frying and giving the dish a less greasy finish.

Ingredients

85g of plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
200ml of sparkling water, chilled

shopping List

Add the flour, salt and sugar to a mixing bowl

Gradually whisk in the chilled sparkling water – do not over-whisk as this will cause gluten to develop in the flour which will form a heavy batter.

Before dipping the batter coat you chosen ingredient in flour to help the batter stick

Next dip in the batter and let any excess drip off

Quickly transfer to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy

Drain on kitchen paper, season and serve immediately

Tips

Make sure that the ingredients you are coating are thoroughly dry to ensure that the tempura batter stays crisp.

When making tempura vegetables, partially cook the vegetables before coating in batter as they won’t have time to cook through before the batter becomes crisp and golden.

Variations

The tempura batter can be flavoured with spices. For example, Alfred Prasad adds chilli powder, ajwain seeds and cumin seeds to his batter mix for his Crispy plaice and mint pinwheels recipe.

Serving suggestions

Tempura batter can be used to coat all kinds of foods. Frances Atkins creates a Tempura of stuffed courgette flowers in her recipe while Shaun Rankin uses crispy tempura prawns as an accompaniment to a smooth Sweetcorn soup. Chris Horridge serves his tempura-battered oysters with a sweet apricot purée, making a light but luxurious canapé.