Tempura

Japanese food · deep-fried · cooking technique

Portuguese influence. Tempura came to Japan in the 16th century when Portuguese Jesuits introduced the Western method of coating food in flour and frying it. This cooking style was brought through trade between Portugal and Japan.

Light and crispy batter. The special thing about tempura is its thin, delicate batter that gets golden and crunchy when deep-fried. The batter is so light that you can often see the ingredients peeking through it.

Seafood and veggies. Tempura usually features shrimp, fish, or other seafood, along with vegetables like mushrooms, green beans, and sweet potato. Both cooked and raw ingredients work beautifully in tempura.

Served with dipping sauce. Tempura is traditionally served with a special dipping sauce called tentsuyu, which is made from broth, soy sauce, and mirin (sweet cooking rice wine). A little bit of grated daikon radish or ginger often goes into the sauce too.

Part of Japanese culture. Over 400 years, tempura became so loved in Japan that it is now considered a classic Japanese dish, even though it started from a foreign cooking technique.