Do you like tempura?
That crispy texture, the juicy bite, and all the different ingredients inside… Japanese tempura is one of the most delicious Japanese foods.
But did you know you can make crispy tempura at home surprisingly easily?
In Japan, many families cook tempura at home regularly, and it tastes amazing. My family loves my homemade tempura, but honestly, it’s very easy to make!
The secret is Japanese tempura flour.
How Japanese People Eat Tempura at Home
For tourists and people outside Japan, tempura may look like a high-quality and elegant Japanese meal. However, tempura is not actually a formal dish in Japan. Many Japanese families cook tempura at home for dinner because it is easy, delicious, and fun to make.
Tempura rice bowls called “tendon” are also very popular casual meals in Japan. You can enjoy tendon at soba restaurants, udon restaurants, and even cheap local restaurants. Japanese people enjoy tempura in many different ways. We often eat it with rice, udon, or soba. Some people dip tempura into tentsuyu, a Japanese dashi-based sauce, while others enjoy it simply with a little salt.
Tempura has many different styles and ways to enjoy it.
Why Japanese Tempura Is So Cripsy
People often say that using cold water helps make tempura crispy. Some people also say you should not mix the tempura batter too much before dipping the ingredients.
Those tips are true, but honestly, Japanese tempura flour makes the biggest difference.
Japanese tempura flour is specially made to create a light, crispy texture easily, even for beginners. That is why homemade tempura in Japan can taste surprisingly good without complicated techniques.
Best Japanese Tempura Flour for Beginners
I used a similar Japanese version of Nisshin tempura flour yesterday to make homemade tempura.
Japanese tempura flour like this makes it much easier to create light and crispy tempura at home, even for beginners.
If you want to make Japanese-style tempura outside Japan, I highly recommend trying Nisshin tempura flour.
How to Make Easy Homemade Tempura
1. Mix the flour and water
The official instruction says to use 100g of tempura flour with 160ml of water.
Mix gently until the batter becomes smooth and there are no large lumps.
2. Heat the oil to about 170°C (340°F)
Use a deep pan and add enough oil so the ingredients can sink into the oil completely. About 2 cm or more of oil is recommended.
3. Fry until crispy
When the tempura becomes crispy and the bubbles around it become smaller, it is ready!
See? Japanese tempura is actually very easy to make at home.
If you have tempura flour left over, keep it in the refrigerator after opening.
Easy Ingredients for Homemade Tempura
At tempura restaurants in Japan, shrimp and vegetables are some of the most common tempura ingredients. However, for homemade tempura, you can use many different ingredients such as sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, chicken, and more.
Yesterday, I tried zucchini tempura. It was incredibly delicious — juicy, fresh, and perfectly crispy on the outside. One fun thing about homemade tempura is that you can enjoy experimenting with your favorite ingredients.
However, be careful when using ingredients with a lot of moisture because the oil can splash while frying.
Final Thoughts
Tempura is one of the easiest and most delicious Japanese foods you can make at home.
I usually use a normal pan for tempura, but a special deep-frying pot like this is really useful if you cook tempura often.
Because it has a rectangular shape, it is easier to fry long ingredients like shrimp or asparagus. It is also compact, easy to store, and easy to wash. This pot works with both gas stoves and IH cooktops, and it is dishwasher safe too.
My favorite part is the draining rack tray that comes with it.
After frying tempura, it is important to let the extra oil drain for a moment before eating. This helps keep the tempura light and crispy. I always use a tray like this when making tempura at home.
It also makes fried foods much easier to cook casually at home.
And if you love Japanese food and cooking, please check out my storefront too! You can find unique Japanese snacks and useful Japanese cooking tools there.
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