Almost Tempura

Tempura needs only a few ingredients – batter and frying oil, but it is not easy to perfect it.

With American made flour, Tempura ends up like fritters. You also need a right type of cooking oil so that Tempura gets crispy. Even in Honolulu, it is hard to find a Japanese restaurant which serves perfectly fried Tempura.  

One of my mother’s specialties was tempura. Whenever our family visits my parents’ house, my mom cooked shrimp and vegetable tempura. They were so tasty and crispy.

 I can’t make it as my mom did, so this recipe I call it “Almost tempura .”

Use Japanese made Tempura flour (mix) for the best result.  Here, I use avocado oil, but use any frying oil of your choice. I do not recommend olive oil since it is not suited for deep frying.

If you make too much, you can repurpose it to Tempura don (ten don) adding rice and tempura sauce. That is also tasty.