Introduction

Tempura is a type of cooking that falls under quick deep-frying, consisting of deep-frying small-sized ingredients at high temperatures, removing them when just golden, and draining them well. Tempura can be made with almost any food (prawns, king prawns, chicken, vegetables, fruit…).

Cooking in hot fat is the culinary technique used in the preparation of tempura. The role of fat in this method is crucial as it acts as an efficient heat transfer medium — due to its specific heat, it transfers heat very quickly, and thanks to its high viscosity, it ensures even heat distribution.

Fat-based cooking has the advantage of not excessively drying out foods or leaching water-soluble components. It is also very fast, as oils can reach high temperatures.

How to Make a Good Tempura Batter

To achieve successful tempura, one must prepare a good batter. Beat an egg and add ice-cold water, continue whisking, and then add flour — but without overmixing.

The next step is to prepare the ingredients for frying by cutting them to the appropriate size.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan to 180–190°C (roughly until a piece of bread sizzles and browns).

• When the temperature is correct, a crispy, golden, and tasty crust forms on the outside, thanks to caramelisation and Maillard reactions. This crust prevents oil from entering the food and water from escaping, leaving the food crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside, as it cooks in its own moisture.
• If the temperature is incorrect — too high, the food may burn on the outside and remain raw inside; too low, the crust doesn’t form, the water evaporates, and oil seeps in, making the food greasy.

To make the outside crispy and the inside tender in tempura, ingredients are coated in a proper batter to help quickly form the crust. So after flouring, the food is dipped in beaten egg.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tempura

• Wash, dry, and cut your chosen ingredients into suitable pieces.
• Prepare the batter using one egg, flour, and ice-cold water. The mixture should be fluid but not runny, and able to coat the food without dripping off.
• Heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to 180°C.
• Dip each piece of food (vegetables, seafood, fish…) into the batter, allow excess to drip off, and fry for 1–2 minutes (depending on the size of the piece).
• Place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.

The sudden contact of the food with very hot oil triggers three effects:

– Formation of the outer crust.

– Reduction of water content inside the crust while increasing fat content.

– Complete dehydration of the outer crust, enhancing caramelisation and Maillard reactions that change the surface colour of the food.

The crust acts as a barrier against oil penetration. Meanwhile, the food’s internal water turns to steam, which aids thorough internal cooking.

This culinary technique results in a crispy, golden, and shiny exterior with a tender interior and a very appetising aroma.

Tips for Perfect Tempura

When frying, bear in mind that each ingredient has its own level of firmness or moisture. For successful tempura, ingredients should be cut into appropriate sizes based on these characteristics. Courgettes, peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, and asparagus fry well. Carrots, being harder, may benefit from pre-blanching. Prawns and fish should be cut into small pieces.

Always dry the ingredients well. Water accelerates oil degradation.

It’s highly advisable to keep all tempura ingredients cold.

Avoid overmixing the batter — working the flour too much forms gluten, which creates a network that can shrink upon heating, leaving some parts uncovered.

Temperature is key: try not to exceed 190°C to preserve the properties of extra virgin olive oil.

Never mix oils — each fat has a different smoke point. Mixing oils means one may be burning while another hasn’t reached its ideal temperature.

Use a small saucepan or pot to save oil. A smaller diameter allows for deeper oil and better frying.

Fry in small batches. Adding too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature, which worsens the frying quality and increases oil absorption.

Always rest fried tempura on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil, making the result lighter.

You can also prepare a tempura suitable for those intolerant to gluten by using chickpea flour, fine corn flour, or rice flour. In fact, a mix of flours can add different nuances to your tempura.

For vegans, simply use your chosen flour with ice-cold water. You can also add lemon or orange zest or aromatic herbs for flavour.

My personal trick: I like to add one or two teaspoons of natural yeast to the batter to give it a slight puff. It adds a unique touch.