1. Understand tempura
Tempura, also known as "tempura", "heaven" means oil, "bran" means flour, and "luo" means outer clothing. Judging from the name, tempura is a food wrapped in flour made of oil, which is a general term for fried foods. This food has been around in Japan for hundreds of years, originally a cheap food that cost less than sushi and was relatively quick and easy to make, but it was gradually loved by the Japanese shogunate and modified, slowly forming today's tempura.
Popular tempura (Japanese kanji for "tempura") is a common Japanese snack that appeared in the streets and alleys in the early days of the Edo period (roughly equivalent to the Qing Dynasty in China), and the earliest documentary record of tempura dates back to 1669. Like many Japanese foods, this tempura is actually an imported product. From the 16th century, Portuguese missionaries began to be active in Japan, according to Catholic canon law, there are four fasts a year, during the fasting period can not eat meat, so the missionaries will use fish and shrimp instead, many missionaries before going to Japan have been in the West Coast of India in the Goa region for a period of time, probably there they learned to hang fish, shrimp and vegetables on the paste and put in the frying pan to fry the simple cooking method, and brought it to Japan. This crispy and delicious food was very popular with the Japanese people and quickly became popular, and it is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate at that time, was particularly fond of tempura. The foreign word tempura may be derived from the Portuguese word "tempora quadragesimae", which literally means "four fasts".
2. Tempura in each season
Tempura is mainly based on vegetables and fish and shrimp, in the spring you can taste silver fish, ayu, cherry blossom shrimp, clams, broad beans, asparagus, thorn buds, etc.; in the summer, it is big-eyed carp, shasseau, silver treasure, eggplant, pumpkin, etc.; in autumn, you may wish to try gobies, matsutake mushrooms, burdock, chestnuts, lilies, etc.; and in winter, don't miss oysters, white seeds, scallops, sweet potatoes, etc. In some tempura shops, some ingredients may not be launched during the peak period, but when the ingredients are just on the market, they have the intention of tasting them.
3. The difference between Chinese fried food and Japanese tempura
Tempura is indeed an ambitious food. The Japanese have always been a country of ingenuity, and everything needs to be truth-seeking, refined, and beautiful. The same is true for tempura requirements, Japan's tempura chooses ingredients above the main choice of seafood and vegetables, Japanese gourmet Lushan people said: fried tempura to use sesame oil, is what we call sesame oil, it is best to age sesame oil, so as to ensure the aroma of tempura.
Distinguish Chinese fried food from the dough coat, Japanese fried tempura noodle coat is thin and crispy, the dough coat should be adjusted thinner, hanging on top of the ingredients, there are golden cura and silver cura. Chinese fried food is not exquisite, the noodles are thick, and the ingredients are wrapped in it.
4. Tempura frying method
Tempura production has a general three-point standard: the hanging paste should be thin, the drainage should be clean, and it should be crisp and fragrant. The ratio of wheat flour and eggs and water in the batter is moderate, while not requiring the temperature of the oil is very high, pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables, and the tempura after frying pays attention to visual beauty, generally placed in a small bamboo basket to the customer, interesting and high.
5, tempura's best matching partner
Tempura's best friends are rice and noodles. Therefore, whether it is tempura rice bowl (tempura), tempura tea rice, tempura set food, tempura soba noodles, tempura udon noodles are very happy combinations.