Really Authentic Tempura Batter

I admit it, I'm on a diet. As any one who has needed to drop a few knows, much of your favorite stuff is not on the menu. So I'm sitting here craving tempura anything and thought you might like to give it a whirl. Let me know how it went so I can live vicariously.

It works exactly the same for shellfish, veggies, or chicken but you need to be sure the pieces are thin enough to cook through relatively quickly or the batter will burn before the food is cooked through. My favorite is with a mix of shrimp and veggies (cooked separately for timing).

The recipe is really easy, but you need to make the batter when you are ready to fry, it won't hold.

Tempura Batter
1.5C Rice Flour
1.5C Corn Starch
1.5C Chilled Soda Water
1 whole egg, beaten
Pure Peanut Oil for frying

Preheat your peanut oil to 375 degrees.

Precut your veggies and peel and devein your shrimp. I like, shitake caps, sweet potato, red peppers and green beans. I also suggest buying white shrimp if you have a choice. They are firmer and have a better result.

Into a medium size bowl, place the starch and rice flour. Mix with a fork.

With a fork, or chopsticks beat the egg until its uniform. Mix the egg into the soda and quickly whisk the liquids into the flour starch mixture. It will seem to clump, just keep it moving until all the liquid is in.

One piece at a time dip the food pieces into the batter and place them directly into hot oil. You will need to dangle the food in the oil until the bottom just sets and then drop it in. Start with the items which take the longest like the fish or protein. Flip the frying items with a fork to ensure even color. The batter will appear light and uniform when ready.

Remove the pieces to a plate or rack with paper toweling and salt immediately after removing from the oil.

Serve with traditional soy dipping sauce...

Dip Sauce
1/4C soy
2T sugar
2T rice vinegar
1T minced ginger, garlic, scallion.