Vegetable tempura is a popular Japanese dish made by dipping thin slices of fresh vegetables in batter and frying them. It is served with a dipping sauce and rice or noodles. The batter is made with eggs, flour, and ice water, and any solid vegetable can be used. Tempura was introduced to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 1600s and is now served as an affordable fast food.
Vegetable tempura is a Japanese dish with fried vegetables. Thin slices of fresh vegetables are dipped in batter and quickly fried in small batches. Tempura is also commonly made with seafood, and a combination of vegetable and seafood tempura is a popular order in Japanese restaurants. A dipping sauce and plain rice or noodles are usually served with this dish.
Almost any solid vegetable can be prepared as a vegetable tempura. Zucchini, onion and sweet potatoes are popular choices. Small broccoli or cauliflower florets are also commonly used.
The batter is made with eggs, flour, and ice water, or you can use a store-bought batter mix. You shouldn’t overmix the batter, because it performs best when some lumps remain. It is recommended to add a few ice cubes to the prepared batter to keep it cold. The hot batter can become sticky and make the vegetable tempura oily.
Tempura is served with a dipping sauce called tentsuyu. Tentsuyu is made from soup stock, rice wine, and soy sauce. Some restaurants also serve salt and citrus juice as tempura toppings. The salt is sometimes seasoned with green tea, curry powder, or other spices.
A wok, which is a dome-shaped Japanese pan used for frying, is recommended for cooking tempura. A heavy pot with deep walls can also be used. The oil is heated in the pot to a temperature that will cook the vegetables quickly while sealing in the juices. Cooking vegetables in small batches helps keep the temperature constant.
Fish tempura is often served with vegetable tempura. Crab, scallops, and prawns are popular tempura items, as are small pieces of whitefish or cod. When cooking vegetable and seafood tempura, it is best to cook them separately, as cooking times can vary.
Tempura was introduced to Japan in the 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who prepared battered and fried fish for their meals. Street vendors popularized the dish by selling freshly caught and fried fish from their stands. Tenya stores in Japan now serve tempura as an affordable fast food. These stores offer lunchrooms where customers argue as they eat.
When rice is served with tempura, it is called ten-don. The tempura is placed on top of a mound of rice and the tentsuyu sauce is poured over the plate. Vegetable and seafood tempura is also served with whole wheat-based udon noodles or buckwheat-based soba noodles. Kakiegedon is a braided mix of vegetable and seafood tempura that is shaped into a round structure and served over rice.
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