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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw
series • cooking
PG
series • cooking
PG
In Japan, tempura making is a skill honed by chefs since the battered, fried coating was introduced by the Portuguese in the 1600s. After all, there are few pleasures as comforting as biting into a perfectly fried, crisp-on-the-outside and succulent-inside tempura...
The answer to the question of how to make tempura well lies in the tempura batter – which might be straight-up flour, or a mixture of flours like wheat and corn; some batters use ice-cold beer or soda water, as well as baking soda or powder for extra crisp.
Another key element is the tempura sauce, which is often a guarded secret of tempura restaurants, and varies between parts of Japan – for example, in the West of Japan (Kyoto region), which leans towards cleaner flavours, the sauce is either omitted in place of salt, or is a clean broth-like soup of dashi stock and seasonings; in the East of Japan (Tokyo-side), known for its more bold palate, the tempura sauce is often a thicker and sweeter, barbecue-like sauce. If you're wondering how to make tempura sauce, look to the hero ingredient to be guided to what to serve the tempura with.
This selection of tempura recipes covers all bases, and offers up everything from succulent shrimp tempura to fresh spring vegetable tempura, equipping you with the basics as well as creatively expanding your fried fritter horizons.
A vegetable fritter in Japan is known as 'kakiage', and can be a mixture of straight-up seasonal vegetables, local seafood – or be a mixture. Either way, they're a classic in Japanese chain tempura shops to Michelin-star establishments where a kakiage is often served on top of rice as the last dish of a tasting menu. Grassy matcha salt brings a little added colour and sophistication.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Think creamy eggplant dipped in crackling batter, then kissed with aromatic spices and a drizzle of honey – every mouthful is a delicious dance of silky, crisp, and sweet-spiced warmth.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Speedy tempura meets snappy okra – thin, crispy, and infused with the okra’s unique snap and flavour. A perfect quick crunch that packs bold veggie goodness.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Juicy prawns wrapped in ultra-light batter, fried to a pale golden delight. Classic and irresistibly crispy – an ode to the ocean in one bite.
Credit: Sarah Todd
Aromatic five-spice tempura gets a fiery upgrade with M-Y-O chilli oil, combining warm, savoury depth with kick. Best to start the chilli oil the day before, to allow the flavours to develop.
Credit: Murdoch Books / Ben Dearnley
Celebrate spring’s bounty – snap peas, baby carrots, tender greens – each coated in a light, airy batter. Fresh, colourful, and bursting with garden-fresh crunch.
Asparagus and all its spring vegetable mates have the perfect crunch for tempura appetisers. (Sharyn Cairns)
As chef Adam Liaw points out, the secret to a good tempura batter is the reduction of gluten – which means keeping the tempura batter cold and dry to inhibit the formation of gluten. To this end, the sifted the flour for the tempura batter is placed in a frost-free freezer overnight.
Basic tempura. Source: SBS / SBS Food
Delicate whiting fish fillets get the lightest tempura coat, yielding flaky, tender fish and a delicate, feathered crunch – simplicity that shines. To achieve lightness, this batter is a mixture of ice-cold water with self-raising flour and cornflour.
Source: SBS / SBS Food
Indigenous Australian ingredients get the tempura treatment. In this recipe, saltbush is enrobed in light batter of glutinous rice flour, fried, then served with a punchy and herbaceous warrigal greens chimichurri.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Best of both worlds – sweet prawns and vibrant veggies, each encased in crisp batter. A harmonious mix that satisfies both seafood lovers and veggie fans. Adding egg into the batter for this recipe is a style more associated with the Tokyo area, where it helps bind the mixture and add richness; the addition of bicarbonate of soda and sparkling water make sure to keep it light.
Prawn and vegetable tempura Credit: Justine's Flavours of Fuji
Flavourful Moreton Bay bug meat coated in a delicate tempura batter for a luxurious, briny perfectly crispy dish that makes for an impressive dinner-party starter.
Moreton Bay bug tempura Credit: The Chefs' Line
Fish tempura is paired with a homemade tangy, chilli-sweet sambal for a lively flavour contrast and a zingy take on comfort food.
Credit: Under Coconut Skies
A sprinkling of lemon myrtle to serve adds a citrus-lavender aroma and native Australian element to this tempura recipe, as well as refreshing touch.
Lemon myrtle vegetable tempura Credit: On Country Kitchen
With just three vegetables, a fizzy cold batter, and a tangy soy–mirin dipping sauce this an effortless, crowd-pleasing starter.
3 ingredient tempura Credit: Kitti Gould
Abalone’s delicate sweetness shines when given a quick tempura treatment. This recipe strips it back to essentials, letting the prized Australian shellfish take centre stage in an elegant yet approachable way.
Tempura abalone Credit: Food Lab
