I don’t deep fry foods very often. Eating too much fried stuff makes me feel sick, I’m just not used to it. I had a worse upset stomach doing disaster relief in Louisiana where everything was fried, than I did in any third world country. But I have a few things I love every once in a while. Tempura is one of those favorites.
When I deep fry something, like the eggrolls we recently had, I save the oil. Once it’s cooled, I strain it through cheesecloth and then put it back in the cleaned pot and cover it to use it again in a couple days. I use the same oil three times, this saves us quite a bit of money since cooking oil can be so pricey.
For tempura, I’ve made my own batter from scratch, but I’ve found that I really like the stuff in a box, and it saves me a little time.
I’m gonna keep it really simple. You get some ice cold water in your fridge, mix that with some of the batter (I don’t make as much as the box ingredients, basically you want a soupy consistency), dip stuff in it, and fry it in the oil.
Try to get a good mix of veggies in there. Our favorite things are tiny pieces of chicken, baby shrimp, thinly sliced zucchini coins, thin red bell pepper strips, and thin strips of red onion. Fry them until they’re nice and golden brown, drain on a wire rack with paper towels underneath. Serve with lots of dipping sauces like ranch, sweet chili sauce, and a soy based sauce.
