I always thought it was japanese!

"Tempura was introduced to Japan in the mid-sixteenth century by early Portugues missionaries and traders"
Well, thank you! You live and learn!

I think it is a combo of flour and cornstarch/arrowroot that might make it stick better.

I use selzer water in mine. My mom always did too. Must be a taught thing. Love tempura mushrooms and zucchini the best. What are your favorites, you didn't say? ;)

I love tempura, but it doesn't like my waist line or my scale!

Two points about tempura I consider essential are stirring the batter as little as possible so it doesn't get tough and dredging in flour before dipping in batter. The food doesn't need to retain a heavy coating of flour, just a thin film to ensure the surface of the food is dry.

I like to do seafood such as fish, shrimp and scallops and vegetables such as squash, peppers, eggplant and onion.

Jim

I haven't made tempura in years...but it seems to me I folded a lightly beaten egg white into the batter....and I do remember the admonishion never to salt before frying.
Linda C

I've not gone too far afield on what I tempura - no tempura snails yet. Just the usual. Prawns, chicken, veggies.

Usually I'll salt the food rather than the batter, but haven't done any real taste tests to base this on. Lindac, why shouldn't one salt before frying?

I would think the salt would draw out moisture and make whatever you were making "slick[er]".

I use the Tempura Batter recipe posted by Gagden guru some time ago. We love the results.

My favourite things to use it on is shrimp and halibut. It makes for great fish and chips.

Tempura Batter - Garden Guru - all notes are his

Servings

1 Cup flour*
1/4 Cup cornstarch
1/4Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp baking powder
Oil for deep-frying (I like 3 parts
-Wesson "Best blend" oil, 1 part peanut
-oil, and a good splash of sesame oil)

Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and baking powder.

Add soda water gradually, stirring with a fork, first to create a paste and then until mixture is like a thick pancake batter.

Heat oil for frying to 375 F - 400 F.

Dip prepared veggies and meats in batter, coating completely. Shake off excess.

Fry vegetables and meats, a few pieces at a time, until light brown and crispy.

Do not crowd pan, or oil temperature will drop. No more than will cover 3/4 of the surface of the oil.

Drain on paper towels.

* NOTE: I like 2 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part rice flour.

VARIATION: PANKO TEMPURA

To use Japanese breadcrumbs (panko), dip items in batter, smoosh around in crumbs, then fry.

I also love gardenguru's tempura batter for stuff like fish and chips. (We miss you, Joe!) However, as you can see in Sharon's picture it's a thicker coating, really not what I'm looking for when I'm thinking tempura.

Recently I was very happy with Cook's Illustrated's recipe. They use seltzer, corn starch and vodka. Based on their article it's all about keeping gluten formation down, so last minute prep and minimal mixing are emphasized. They found that the addition of vodka kept subsequent batches turning out as good as the first. I did use vodka, but in retrospect I'd have been better off putting it in a glass with cranberry juice since I wasn't planning on frying up multiple batches. I'll be happy to look up and post their recipe if asked. This picture which I recently posted on a WFD thread doesn't do it justice, but you can see the difference between it and the fish picture. Look towards the tails to get a better idea of what it's like.

Here's another recipe from Ann's blog. I tried it on some gulf shrimp and was very happy with it.

1/2 cup ice cold water or soda water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut oil for deep-frying

I also blotted the shrimp dry, dipped in flour, then batter. It turned out light and delicious and will be a definite Do-Over.

I saw that Cooks Illustrated article, it is one thing that got me interested in improving my tempura. I, too, prefer a light, flakey, thin crust with tempura, versus fish 'n chips where I like a substantial crust.

So the vodka trick makes a difference after all, eh? I will try that - vodka is not something I keep around but I suppose a little screwdriver wouldn't hurt things.

Use rice flour and a little baking powder plus egg and ice-cold bottled water. Leave clumps in it. Use peanut oil at 375-400 -- enough for total immersion. Whether stove or device, you MUST be certain the oil remains at a constant temperature during immersion. I suggest stove-top and in-pot thermometer for that reason. You'll need more power than 110v can supply once the food is immersed and drops the oil-temp. Do small batches regardless.

And then don't leave it in there as long as ANY of the directions tell you to. It will take some trial-and-error using whatever arrangement you have to work with to get it right. However, most failures have to do with inability to maintain oil temperature once the food is immersed. For U-15 shelled shrimp, it takes more than two minutes but less than three at 375-400F.

Don't use cheap food. It's inferiority will only be amplified by this method of cooking. For example, Vietnamese "farm raised" shrimp end up tasting exquisitely like the water they were raised in....which is, basically, brackish-water sewage. Florida, Gulf, or Mexican wild ocean shrimp cost more than twice as much....and your first bite will tell you why. They all look the same, but they are not.