Japanese Tempura
Tempura is deep fried seafood, meat and vegetables and one of the most popular Japanese food. Tempura was not actually originated in Japan and it was introduced by Portuguese missionaries in 16th century. It is said that the word "tempura" actually came from Portuguese word, "tempero" which literally means spicy condiment. Tempura became widely popular during Edo Period as Ieyasu Tokugawa, the fonder of Tokugawa shogunate loved tempura. Today there are many tempura restaurants in Japan ranging from inexpensive chain restaurants such as Tenya to prestigious restaurants often located inside five start hotels. Tempura is also used for a part of other Japanese food such as maki sushi combined with rice wrapped by Nori (dried seaweed) known as "Tenmusu".
To make delicious tempura, batter which is basically a mix of tempura flour and water is quite important. Some other ingredients such as baking oil and spices may be added. Tempura batter is usually kept cold with ice. If tempura batter is not well prepared like putting in too much water, tempura may come out watery and chewy. Seafood or slices of vegetables are dipped in light batter and briefly dipped in hot tempura oil until tempura becomes hot and crispy. Many tempura restaurants use sesame oil to make tempura crispy. Tea seed oil is also used by some tempura restaurants. Oil temperature is usually set around 150 Celsius degree. Tempura should not be dipped in the oil too long and cooking time is in general only a few seconds.
