Tempura Advanced Batter Science and Frying

Japan — 16th century adaptation of Portuguese battered vegetable technique; developed as a street food in Edo period; Kanda and Asakusa districts of Tokyo had famous tempura yatai street stalls; institutionalised as a high-end restaurant cuisine in the 20th century

Tempura's extraordinary lightness — the thin, transparent, barely-there batter that creates a gossamer-thin shell rather than a substantial coating — results from precise management of four factors: cold temperature throughout, minimal mixing, low protein flour, and high-temperature oil. Developed from Portuguese peixinhos da horta (battered vegetables) introduced to Japan in the 16th century and transformed into a completely distinct preparation, tempura's Japanese iteration abandoned the dense egg-heavy European batter and achieved a crystalline, shatteringly delicate shell unknown in any other frying tradition. The professional tempura batter is made with ice-cold water (sometimes with ice cubes floating in it), cold eggs, low-protein cake flour or a 50/50 cake/all-purpose blend, and is mixed with a light, almost careless cutting motion that leaves lumps deliberately in the batter.

Essentially neutral batter that acts as a translucent envelope revealing the ingredient inside; the texture — shatteringly crisp exterior giving to the tender interior — is the sensory focus; tsuyu dipping sauce adds the umami and seasoning dimension