TEMPURA

tempura	home-made tempura

The basic method of cookikng tempura was introduced into Japan
in the middle of the 16 century by the Portuguese Christian missionaries.
It is said that the word tempura comes from tempero, which means "cooking" in Portuguese
or tempuro, which means "temple" in Spanish.
Tempura became a common dish late in the Edo period, since this way of cooking
suited the fish caught in Tokyo Bay. Since then the cooking techniques have been refined and improved.

The most important points to remember when making tempura are the temperture of oil,
keeping the oil at a constant temperture, the quality of the oil,
the formula of the flour for the batter,
and the degree of mixing to keep the batter from becoming sticky

The ingredients for tempura include white-meat fish, shrimp,
squid, scallops, mushrooms, sweet potates,
hot peppers, eggplants, carrots, nori (dried laver), and chikuwa ( steamed paste of fish )
Any vegetables are okay but it's best to use those with low water content
so that they can be safely fried..

Tempura can be eaten with salt, lemon juice or tentsuyu.
Tentsuyu is clear dipping broth consists of stock flavored with
soy sauce and sweet sake.