The deep fryer is an institution in many restaurants. It’s difficult to think about going to Arby’s without getting the curly fries. Same with Wendy’s and their thicker, tastier fries. Many more things, however, can be fried in an Empura deep fryer.
Tempura comes immediately to mind, and today is National Tempura Day. Tempura is the style of deep frying created by the Japanese. The history of modern tempura goes back to the eighteenth century, most notably with the records of people deep-frying items which were lightly coated in flour. The practice took off in Japan, and soy sauce and other things were used in the preparation and the eating.
Tempura batter is made by making a light batter out of very cold water and a soft flour. It is mixed rapidly and left lumpy. Depending on the maker, a leavening agent or oil might be added but not bread crumbs. The cold water and lumpy batter gives tempura its special texture. You can get special tempura flour made from flour, egg, cold water, baking soda, and starch.
Literally anything can be tempura-ized, too, from pickles to hard-boiled eggs. As long as you can get the batter to stick, it can go into the deep fryer. Traditional tempura is fried in sesame oil, but this can be rather expensive.
Once the frying has been completed, it’s time to create a dipping sauce. The heavenly sauce is made from a mixture of kombu, bonito, soy sauce, mirin, ginger and daikon.
Once the sauce is made, it’s a matter of dipping and enjoying. The prices for tempura range from $1 for a small piece, and we’ve seen it go through the roof. It all depends on the ingredients.
If you’re already making your own batters for deep frying, it’s a simple step to also add tempura frying to your menu. Try making some today and see if it’ll fit with your restaurant concept.
Special thanks go to Nemo's Great Uncle on Flickr for the Creative Commons use of the photo.
