Recipe: Tempura batter

"Can I offer you some tempura _________?"  Pretty much an easy sell to a guest.  Certainly in Vancouver, and I'm pretty confident worldwide,  tempura items have huge popularity, to the point that it's not just reserved for Japanese food anymore, it crosses over everywhere into all styles of food.  We always have some tempura batter ready to go at work, so it's not uncommon for us to be checking out a new item and someone comes out with "it's pretty tasty, but will it deep fry?" - into the batter and into the fryer it goes.  All manner of fish, poultry, vegetables, fruit (a bit trickier), pork belly, the list goes on, we've tested it.  I've even made tempura french fries just to make sure we're covering all our bases (surprisingly delicious and probably a sin).  This recipe is a nice one not only because it works, but the numbers are all in sync with each other which makes it easy to remember and multiply for larger amounts.  Some great variations simply involve adding something to the batter.  Togarashi spice will add a nice zip to the batter while black sesame seeds add not only a nice flavour, but have a great visual effect on the product.  Best to make this as close to cooking time as possible.

You will need:

1                        egg

1C / 250ml        flour

1C / 250ml        soda water

pinch                 baking soda

to taste              kosher salt

as needed          cornstarch for dredging (optional)

Method:

 - set your fryer to 360F - 375F depending on the size of the item frying

 - Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together

 - whisk the egg well

 - whisk some of the soda water into the egg

 - whisk the egg/water mix into the flour mix until smooth

 - add the soda water until you have a nice consistency (a bit thicker than cream) - you don't have to use it all

 - if desired, dredge the item with cornstarch and shake any excess off

 - dip in the batter

 - fry

 - drain on paper towel and season with salt