Dreaming of that incredibly light, crisp, golden coating wrapped around juicy prawns and tender vegetables, just like in Japanese restaurants? Tempura can seem like a tricky art form, but the secret is simpler than you think. With our ready-mixed Tempura Flour, you'll be the master of your own kitchen. This perfect mix is your shortcut to an irresistible result every time – a crunchy, crisp outside and a wonderfully juicy inside. Forget complicated recipes: all you need to add is ice-cold water!
Ingredients for Tempura Moriawase (mixed tempura)
This recipe serves about 2–3 people.
- 1 bag Tempura Flour 150 g
- About 200 ml ice-cold sparkling water
- 8–10 large prawns, peeled but with tails left on
- 1 sweet potato, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, cut into wide strips
- 1 courgette, cut into thin batons
- A few florets of broccoli or cauliflower
- 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms (optional)
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying (e.g. rapeseed or sunflower oil)
Ingredients for Tentsuyu (dipping sauce)
- 100 ml dashi (Japanese stock)
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
- 2 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
- Grated daikon (white radish) and fresh ginger to serve
Method – Step by Step to Perfect Tempura
- Make the dipping sauce: Start with the sauce so the flavours have time to come together. Combine the dashi, soy sauce and mirin in a small pan. Warm gently but don't let it boil. Set aside to cool.
- Prep the ingredients: Rinse and cut all the vegetables. Pat them completely dry with kitchen paper – this is crucial so the batter sticks and doesn't spit in the oil. Make a small cut on the underside of each prawn so they stay straight while frying.
- Heat the oil: Pour oil to a depth of 3–4 cm into a wok or heavy-based pan. Heat to 170–180°C. If you don't have a thermometer, test with a small drop of batter – it should sink, then quickly rise to the surface and sizzle briskly.
- Mix the batter: This is the most important step! Tip the Tempura Flour into a bowl. Add the ice-cold water and mix quickly with chopsticks or a fork. Do NOT overmix! The batter should be lumpy – the lumps are what create that signature crunch. Overworked batter turns chewy.
- Time to fry: Dip one piece at a time into the batter so it gets a thin coating. Lower it carefully into the hot oil. Only fry a few pieces at a time so the oil temperature doesn't drop.
- Fry to perfection: Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, or until the batter is pale golden and crisp. Vegetables take slightly less time than prawns.
- Drain: Lift out the cooked tempura with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Avoid kitchen paper, as it can make the underside soggy.
- Serve immediately: Tempura is at its very best piping hot and freshly made. Serve with the lukewarm dipping sauce and a little grated daikon and ginger on the side. Itadakimasu!
Ready to Impress with Homemade Tempura?
Why settle for less when you can get restaurant-quality results at home? Our Tempura Flour is the affordable, easy option for anyone who loves fried food. Its blend of wheat flour, tapioca starch and baking powder gives you a light, airy, crisp result every time. Stop dreaming about perfect tempura and start making it!
Click here to buy your bag of Tempura Flour 150 g and turn your kitchen into a Japanese izakaya today!
