fish batter

To me, a good tempura batter is lighter than the traditional beer batter. It's easy to make, with a couple of tips.

Tempura Batter

2 egg yolks
2 cups ice water
2 cups sifted flour

fish, shrimp, vegetables, or chicken even

oil for deep frying

extra flour for dredging

Here are a few tips: While the oil is heating, mix up a half recipe of the batter. Now for the batter to be light and crispy, here are the pointers....lightly beat the first egg yolk. Add half the ice water, and give it just a few strokes. Add half the flour and mix just to moisten. The batter SHOULD be very lumpy, so just mix it very gently, and briefly. Make sure the fish is patted dry. Dredge the fish in the extra flour, then in the batter, and then into the heated oil, which should be at 340-350 degrees. The cooked fish can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven while mixing up the second batch of batter, or if you are not making a lot, just use the half recipe.

Thanks cav,

I'm on it, although it's one thing for someone that knows what there doing and another thing for the poor bar steward that tries to follow.

I can only assure you cav that I will try my uttermost.

Heh heh, just pretend you can't stir a proper batter and you should get the lumpy mess you need Cheers!

Oops, one other tip....try stirring it with chopsticks. They are terribly ineffecient for stirring most things, but do nicely for tempura.

Ain't no way to duplicate the incredible batter of fish made in one of those great English fish and chips joint.

There is a place in Gainsborough England that has been in business since WWII. They make the best fish and chips ever.

While we are on the subject of fried foods, I worked at a specialty food shop for a while that catered to the hoity toity crowd. They wanted fried chicken without the stigma of it appearing unhealthy Anyway, here is what we came up with, and it is actually quite tasty, even though deep-fried is deep-fried, plain and simple: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were marinated overnight in buttermilk seasoned to taste with salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic. They were drained, dredged in a goodly amount of flour and deep-fried. If they were very large, they were finished in the oven. I can almost hear them chatting..."Oh, well, yes, it's fried, but in canola oil, and marinated in buttermilk, which is very low-fat, did you know that? Also, it's boneless, skinless chicken breast..."

I've also used oatmeal or farina to dip fillets in after letting them sit in milk a little. And the Japanese bread crumbs (whose name I forget, but I think begins with a P) are great - light and flaky.

Panko! They rock...

Thanks cav, That worked a treat.

Frank as a matter of interest, how did you find gainsborough? it's not exactly on the american tour guide route.

On any given day in York for example, trying to find somebody that doesn't have an american (or Japanese) accent is pretty much impossible, but gainsborough?

Kev

The United States Air Force helped me to find Gainsborough. I was stationed at RAF Station Sturgate, located in the beautiful town of Gainsborough outside of Lincoln home of one of the finest cathedrals and Shakespeare companies in the world.

I loved it.

I was there for two years in the mid 1950's.

I'm an old codger.

Cav - I worked part-time as a kitchen porter/commis chef for years, and remember the chefs adding 'old' beer from the bar taps to their batter mix - is this the beer batter you mentioned? They also used the same method for Yorkshire Puddings - and they were the best I've ever tasted.

Kev - I hear you mate - you want to try living here!

Graham, probably. Don't get me wrong, I love a good beer batter, but tempura is lighter. It makes sense that the old beer from the taps would be used. Economics, that....and perfectly fine.

frank, it really is a small world, may 8th 1981 a few friends and I did a parachute jump for charity at sturgate airfield lincolnshire. The certificate for this piece of idiocy still hangs on my toilet door, so that every time I sit there I can relive what a complete asshole I was.

Cav - do you know if the tempura batter is of Japanese origin?

Graham, tempura would indeed be of Japanese origin.