What is Tempura?
{{more sources|date=October 2020}} [[Image:Tempura in a basket by hirotomo in Kyoto.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Tempura served in a basket.]] {{nihongo|'''Tempura'''|天ぷら、天婦羅}} is a kind of [[Japan]]ese food. It is [[deep frying|deep fried]] vegetables or [[seafood]]. Also tempura that does not use seafood is called {{nihongo|shojinage|精進揚げ}}. The dish comes from a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] dish [[peixinhos da horta]], which was brought to Japan by Portuguese sailors in the mid-[[16th century|sixteenth century]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Farley|first=David|title=The truth about Japanese tempura|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170808-the-truth-about-japanese-tempura|access-date=2020-10-01|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}}</ref> ==Cooking== Batter for tempura is generally made from cold water and a light wheat flour. However, sometimes other ingredients may be added, such as eggs, baking soda or [[baking powder]], starch, oil, or spices. Traditionally, the batter is mixed a small amount at a time using [[chopsticks]]. The batter is only mixed for a few seconds and the lumps are left behind, giving the fried tempura its unique shape. Great care is taken to make sure the tempura is not over-mixed, otherwise it will become chewy and dough-like. Special tempura flour has become widely available in supermarkets around the world. Tempura generally does not use breadcrumbs (''panko''). Foods made with this are usually referred to as ''furai''--Japanese-style fried foods, such as [[tonkatsu]] (fried pork cutlet) or [[ebi furai]] (fried shrimp). Seafood or thinly sliced vegetables are dipped in the batter and then quickly fried in hot oil. Usually [[vegetable oil]] is used and is heated to around 160 to 180 degrees Celsius. The cooking time for different types of tempura varies greatly, from only a few seconds for very thin vegetables to minutes for thicker ingredients or ''kakiage'' (mixed vegetables fritters). Common ingredients for tempura include both seafood and vegetables, such as [[shrimp]], [[squid]], [[bell peppers]]