00:00Hi, I'm Udo and today on Stachi I'm going to show you how to make authentic
00:03Japanese tempura batter with lots of tips and tricks to fry to light and
00:09crispy perfection every time. First we're going to measure 150 milliliters of
00:13still water. I'm using a scale for accuracy. I'm going to chill this water
00:18which will help make the batter light and crispy. I'm also going to chill this
00:22bottle of water for my soda stream and make soda water later. Chill them for at
00:28least 30 minutes, longer if you have time. I like to chill my dry ingredients
00:34too so sift 150 grams of cake flour and 30 grams of cornstarch into a bowl. It's
00:42important to use a low-protein flour here because preventing gluten formation is
00:47key to making light and crunchy tempura. Using strong flour like bread flour will
00:51make the batter chewing and heavy. This is also why I chill it. All my tips in this
00:56recipe are to prevent gluten formation. Place the bowl in the freezer until the
01:02water is chilled enough to use. Use the waiting time to cut and dry your ingredients.
01:08Here I have shrimp which is my favorite tempura ingredient. I also have lotus root
01:14slices, halved asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, and shiso leaves.
01:30Other popular ingredients include squid, sweet potato, pumpkin, conga eel, eggplant, and whitefish.
01:37I don't recommend using this recipe for chicken. If you want to make chicken tempura, check out
01:42my special batter recipe for chicken on my website.
01:46When your batter ingredients are nice and cold, start heating your oil. You can use any neutral
01:51flavoured cooking oil with a high smoke point, but I'm using rice brown oil this time. High-end
01:57tempura restaurants typically use extra virgin untoasted sesame oil or a blend of different
02:03oils. The best temperature varies depending on the ingredients, but around 180 Celsius, which
02:10is 356 Fahrenheit is the best practice for general ingredients. I highly recommend using a pot with
02:19a thermometer like this or a contactless cooking thermometer for accuracy. For best results,
02:25make sure your oil is hot before you mix your batter. Once your oil is heated and the batter
02:32ingredients are fully chilled, pour 150ml of still water into a bowl and add one egg. Whip them together
02:42using a balloon whisk to make form, then scoop it out. This will help remove some of the excess egg
02:48whites.
02:49This recipe makes enough for about four people. If you want to make half a batch, use an egg yolk
02:55only,
02:56or mayonnaise containing eggs. One egg can be substituted with one tablespoon of mayonnaise.
03:10Next, add 100ml of salt water. Soda is not a traditional ingredient, but it does make the texture
03:18lighter. You can swap it for an equal amount of still water if it's easier for you.
03:24Next, we're going to add the flour and starch mixture one third a time, and mix it by drawing
03:30crosses with chopsticks. Professionals use special thick chopsticks about as wide as your thumb,
03:38but I don't have any of those, so I use normal cooking chopsticks held upside down.
03:44This crossing method prevents over mixing. Over mixing causes gluten formation,
03:49and the tempura will become thick and chewy rather than crispy.
03:55A lumpy batter is better than a smooth batter. You can even enjoy the different texture with lumps.
04:02You might be wondering why I haven't added any salt or seasoning. In Japan, tempura batter is
04:08intentionally plain. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the batter is meant to be subtle so that
04:14the flavour of each ingredient can shine. Secondly, tempura is usually served with a dipping sauce
04:20or dipping salt, depending on the restaurant. That's where you can get your extra flavour.
04:26Finally, add a few ice cubes. Cold batter delays gluten formation and reacts better with hot oil,
04:33resulting in puffier, crispier, and more delicious tempura.
04:38One last thing, batter must be mixed immediately before frying, after the oil has been preheated.
04:45First, we're going to fry the shrimp. Start by coating them in a thin layer of flour to help the
04:51batter
04:51stick. Dip the shrimp in the batter and then gently place them straight into the preheated oil.
04:58Shrimp will take about 2-3 minutes.
05:06Dip your whisk in the batter and sprinkle it over the shrimp to make them extra puffy and look bigger.
05:14Make sure not to overcrowd the pot as this skin causes tempura to stick together. It could also
05:21make the oil temperature drop, which could make the batter soggy. This tempura shrimp is not really
05:26suitable to put in sushi rolls as the batter is very delicate. Instead, you can place them on top of
05:33sushi rice in nigiri style. In Japan, sushi with tempura is usually served as nigiri sushi,
05:39with the tempura on top of the rice drizzled with a special sweet sauce.
05:45Tempura is supposed to be quite pale, so don't let them become too golden. Take them out of the oil
05:51just
05:52as they start to change colour and place them on a wire rack so that excess oil can drain off
05:57while
05:58you cook the other ingredients. As you fry, bits of batter often break off and float in the oil.
06:08To maintain oil quality, remove these bits with a fine mesh spoon between batches,
06:13otherwise they can burn, making the oil bitter and discolored.
06:22Next, I'll fry the shiitake mushrooms using the same process as before. Usually, I would recommend
06:29frying each ingredient in batches of the same, but I only have two shiitake mushrooms, so I'm going to
06:36add the asparagus too. Unfortunately, this tempura batter recipe doesn't work in an air fryer because the
06:43consistency of the batter is too thin, it would just fall off before it has time to cook. You would
06:49need a tempura batter specifically designed for air fryer use, which I don't have at the moment.
06:55Just as before, transfer them to a wire rack just as they start to turn golden.
07:07Next, I have renkon or lotus root. When this is cut, I like to keep it soaking in water to
07:15prevent
07:15discoloration. Make sure to dry it thoroughly before coating it in flour.
07:21Root vegetables generally take a little longer to cook, but renkon is one of my favourites because it
07:26keeps a nice crunch. I mentioned this earlier, but the other good root vegetables for tempura include
07:33kabocha and sweet potato.
07:41Finally, I'm frying the shiso leaves. Try your best not to let them fold over for the best presentation.
07:47Thin ingredients like shiso leaves or nori only take about a minute or sometimes even less.
07:53Flip them halfway through to crisp up both sides, then drain on the wire rack.
08:00Finally, we're going to use the leftover butter to make some tempura flakes known in Japanese as tenkasu.
08:07Dip your whisk in the butter and shake it into the hot oil to make little bubbles of butter.
08:16Mix them around occasionally to break them up. Tenkasu can be used as a topping for udon and soba,
08:23or even donburi. I drain them on kitchen paper because they're too small for a wire rack.
08:31Once you've drained the excess oil, you can keep them in the freezer for convenience.
08:37And that's it. Authentic light and crispy Japanese tempura best served with tempura dipping sauce or salt.
08:44They also make the perfect topping or side for udon or soba noodles.
08:52And great news, I've launched a free mobile app that makes following along with my recipes even easier.
08:57It's the perfect kitchen companion after watching my videos. You can access step by step instructions
09:03right on your phone while you cook. The download link is in the description below.
09:09Thanks so much for watching. I know I covered a lot of information in this one, so if you prefer
09:15to read it,
09:16all the tips, tricks, and printable recipe are on my blog. The link is on the screen.
09:21If you like deep fried food, check out my ultimate chicken karaage video on the screen too.
09:27Hope to see you in the next video. Bye!
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