tempura that works!

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Re: What have you eaten Sunday, 2/9/2020 to Saturday, 2/15/2020?

tempura butterflied shrimp - deep fried...
final found a tempura recipe that works for me (key: rice flour)
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ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
how do I . . . let me count the ways I've failed with tempura.
ugh. forget it.

this I found:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/basic-tempura-for-fish-and-seafood-1300531

things to know:

I used 16 shrimp of the 16-20 count size; batter was seriously sufficient.
but, based on one egg yolk, reducing the size is iffy.
deep frying: crowd not the pan, maintain 325'F plus for the oil.
I accidentally let the temp drop and one of the batches did not brown right, and most of the batter washed off....

rice flour: one would think one would find this in the Asian ethnic section with the dozens of sauces, noodles, wrappers, etc. in my so-super-dense Giant store, it's a Goya brand. yeah, tex-mex rice flour.... go figger.


Ingredients
[[non-tempura related]]
1 pound seafood or fish (chunks; whole shrimp or oysters are perfect)
1 quart oil (vegetable)

[[batter related]]
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
!!do not use AP flour; been there, done that, didn't work!!
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sparkling water (ice cold)

Chowder add: Achtung! stir mix regularly before dipping - the rice flour settles

Steps to Make It:

Lay out a paper towel under a rack to place the fried seafood on.

Heat the oil to 370 F over medium-high to medium heat in a deep fryer or a deep, heavy pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached to the side.

Salt the seafood and set it aside.

Mix baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and rice flour in a bowl until they are fully incorporated.

When the oil is hot and not before, whisk the egg yolk and the sparkling water together, then pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing well. The consistency of the batter should be like melted ice cream.

Chowder note: do not add all the water at once - add, whisk, check for consistency....

Rapidly dip the seafood into the thin batter, shake it off a bit, and drop it into the oil. Do this in batches so the oil temperature does not drop too far. Do not crowd the pot.

Fry for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of the seafood.

Listen. Do you hear it roiling, popping and sizzling? Good.

When you hear this sound subside, remove the fish immediately. Do not use over-large pieces of seafood or you will not get an ethereal crust.

Once the seafood is out of the oil, lay it on the rack to drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature and rapidly prepare another batch and put it into the oil.

If you have more than 1 pound of fish or seafood, make two batches of the tempura batter and add the liquid to the solid ingredients in the second batch only when you have gone through the first pound of fish. This keeps the batter fizzy and the end-result light and crispy.

Serve at once with a cold beer, lemonade, or sparkling wine. Tempura dipping sauces are excellent accompaniments, but a really good tempura dish only needs a squeeze of lemon or lime.
 
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