Flaky Tempura

[Wiill]

I've been googling for a month now with no results for a flaky tempura recipe. I'm not sure if it's the brand of tempura mix i'm using or my cooking skills are lacking.

I've ensured that I'm using hot oil, but everything is coming out in clumps. They look more like tempura doughnuts, and nothing like the packaging picture. very frustrating.

Mine look like this....

http://www.allstaff.com.my/funnstuff...pura-prawn.jpg


I'm looking for that crispy "coral" looking tempura, like this.....

http://www.yuriya.com.au/images/tempura.jpg
http://www.traderscity.com/board/use...-tempura-1.jpg


Can someone help me!!! Tell me the secret, the mix you use, common mistakes.... PLZ!!!

[trisle604]

seems like you're possibly missing the japanese breadcrumbs ?i could be wrong though .

[ah_long]

I used to work in a ***** restaurant..
u'll need tempura mix, not beer batter mix.. and u use too much mix, try to add more water

[s178]

Use a thermometer and ensure that the oil is within the "deep-frying range" - around 340-350 F. You can probably get away with using the "batter drip" test (if you drop a piece of batter into the pan and it drops halfway down before resurfacing, it's probably in the range), but it's a lot easier to regulate temperature with a thermometer. Also, if you're using a normal range with a pot, try not to fry too many pieces at once - you'll end up lowering the temperature of the oil and your tempura will end up retaining a lot of oil.

As for the batter, look for a recipe that uses rice flour and ice cold water (I also add an egg into my recipe sometimes, which makes the batter a lot lighter). When you're mixing the batter, you'll want to use a pair of chopsticks to combine the ingredients. Don't mix thoroughly - you'll want to see loose flour on the sides of the bowl. I like to keep my batter in an ice bath when I'm cooking as well.

To get tempura florets (the "coral" look), use chopsticks to flick batter onto the tempura pieces while they're cooking. You can use the same technique to get florets for sushi rolls.

[Buffdaddy]

What everyone said is true - the main issue is that the 'PROFESSIONAL' pictures you posted are of tempura that has also been dipped in PANKO bread crumbs , THEN fried.

IF you want the 'crumby, flaky' style of tempura, you need to dip lightly in the tempura, THEN in panko crumbs, THEN fry in the proper (high) heat.

the panko will stick ot the tempura, and fry up cripsy and 'flaky'.

[blahing]

I don't think real tempura has panko, but of course you can do it this way. I've tried using pank and tempura batter, but I much prefer it without. The recipe for the batter I use has 1 egg yolk in it, look for one which is like that. I use a recipe from a cookbook I bought from Japan. The way you make it fluffy is to drip some batter onto the oil before you put the battered prawn in, after you add the prawns, drip some more batter into the oil. This way, you will have the coral looking batter. You cannot get the coral look you want without doing the dripping step.
I need to dig around for the recipe I used, I'll post it later.