Tempura: the Japanese batter that came from Portugal

Tempura has something paradoxical about it: it is one of the most representative dishes of Japanese cuisine and yet it arrived in Japan from elsewhere. The technique of battering and deep-frying was introduced by Portuguese missionaries and merchants in the sixteenth century — the word tempura probably derives from the Latin quatuor anni tempora (the four seasons of the year), referring to the fasting days when Europeans ate fried fish. The Japanese adopted the technique and, as with so many imported things, refined it into something entirely their own.

What makes good tempura

The difference between mediocre and excellent tempura lies primarily in the batter and the oil. The batter should be thin, light, and worked as little as possible — mixing flour with cold water (sometimes ice water) without over-beating, leaving lumps, produces that translucent, crisp coating. An over-worked batter develops gluten and turns heavy and tough.

The oil matters. Sesame oil blended with vegetable oil is standard at many specialist restaurants. It gives a deeper flavour and a more golden colour than vegetable oil alone.

Oil temperature and frying time are the cook’s main controls. Denser vegetables (lotus root, carrot) take longer; prawns and thinner pieces cook in seconds.

Good freshly made tempura is crisp and light. Tempura that has been sitting becomes soft — which is why specialist restaurants serve it immediately, piece by piece, as the cook lifts each one from the oil.

What gets battered

The most common ingredients are:

Seafood: prawn (ebi) is the most classic — kakiage prawn is the most iconic tempura. Also squid, scallop, squid rings.

Vegetables: green pepper (shishito), aubergine, sweet potato, lotus root (renkon), shiitake mushroom, green beans (ingen), pumpkin.

White fish: kisu (Japanese whiting), anago (saltwater eel), and other delicate fish.

Kakiage (かき揚げ) deserves a special mention: it is a tempura made from multiple chopped ingredients (small prawns, onion, carrot) mixed together in the batter and fried as a thick fritter. It is heartier than individual piece tempura and very popular as a topping for tendon and soba noodles.

How it’s eaten

Tempura is eaten with tentsuyu (天つゆ), a dashi broth with mirin and soy sauce served in a small bowl, to which grated daikon and grated ginger are added to taste. The tempura is dipped in the broth before eating.

The alternative is eating it with salt: fine salt or matcha salt (in more traditional restaurants). Salt highlights the flavour of the ingredient without masking it — it is what cooks typically recommend for their highest-quality pieces.

Tendon (天丼) is the rice bowl version: tempura over white rice with tentsuyu sauce poured over. It is a classic lunchtime dish at many Japanese restaurants. Tensoba and tenudon are the soba noodle and udon versions respectively.

Where to eat it

Specialist restaurants (tempura-ya)

Specialist tempura restaurants take the product most seriously. The typical format is a counter facing the fryer, where the cook serves pieces one by one as they come out. At the high end, tempura restaurants are among the most expensive in Japan — a kaiseki-style experience with seasonal tempura can cost ¥30,000 or more. But there are also perfectly good mid-range tempura-ya.

The chains Tsunahachi and Tenya are accessible references with locations across the country. Tenya in particular is a low-priced tendon chain (tempura over rice) with a quality level that far exceeds what it charges.

Soba and udon restaurants

Soba and udon restaurants typically have tempura on the menu — either as a topping over the broth, or as tendon. Quality varies, but at good soba establishments the tempura is up to the same standard.

Supermarkets and convenience stores

Supermarket and convenience store tempura — especially kakiage — is acceptable for what it is: convenient and cheap. It is obviously nowhere near freshly made, but supermarket kakiage over rice is a lunch that plenty of people in Japan eat regularly.