Tempura batter
Ingredients
Ingredients to make tempura batter
- 1 cold egg (from the fridge)
- 1/2 lb (220 g) ice
- 1/2 cup starch (tapioca)
- 1/4 cup cake flour (low gluten white wheat flour) for a non-gluten version, substitute by rice flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup icecold water
Ingredients for pre-coating the food items
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
Instructions
Instructions to make the batter
- Mix the cold egg with the icecold water. For this you may use a whisk.
- Add the cold liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and use chopsticks to mix very gently. Some flour or starch may be visible as lumps. Add a few ice cubes to keep the mixture cold and further dilute.
- Store in a larger bowl, cooled in ice water, but prepare just before deep frying starts
Instructions to coat the to-be deep fried food pieces
- Dry the food items with a kitchen cloth or towel (some may have been par-boiled) and drag them through the starch powder, shake off any excess starch.
- Then pull the food items through the batter, making sure it is wetten on all sides. Then lower the food item in the hot deep fry oil
- If using (deveined) shrimps, make sure to make brief cuts (about 1/4 inch) perpendicular to the length of the shrimp on the belly, about every 1/2 inch. Otherwise the shrimp will very much curl and we like to keep it elongated during deep frying.
- If using vegetabes, check the parboiling times in advance, usually 2-3 minutes. Thereafter cool the items down, before dusting them with starch
Notes
Method: no heat treatment
Food allergy & intolerance information: gluten, egg (using rice flour instead of cake flour will make the batter gluten free)