Tempura

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour; Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every cup of all-purpose flour
Extra flour for coating before dipping food in the tempura batter
1 large egg
1 cup ice-cold water
Ice cubes, for chilling the water
Yield: 4 servings

Directions
In a small bowl, sift the flour once or twice to remove any clumps and to make it light and soft. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, gently beat egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely incorporated.
Combine the water and ice cubes in a cup. Using a strainer, strain the water
You should have 1 cup of ice-cold water
Add it to the bowl with the beaten egg. Make sure you do not actually add ice cubes to the tempura batter.
Add the sifted flour into the bowl with the egg and water mixture and lightly combine the flour using chopsticks.
Be careful not to overmix the batter; it should be a little lumpy.

Directions
Lightly coat the seafood or vegetable in all-purpose flour before dipping them into the tempura batter. This allows the batter to adhere better.
Once coated, dip your items into the batter gently. Too much batter runs the risk of a crispy exterior and mushy interior.
When ready to fry, make sure that your frying oil is between 340 F and 360 F.
Once fried, serve immediately with a dipping sauce and dig in. Tempura can get mushy if it sits too long.
If for some reason the batter won't be used right away, place it in the refrigerator temporarily (for a few short minutes) to keep it ice cold until you're ready to deep-fry your tempura. Do not store in the fridge for an extended period of time.

Basic Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry

Directions Combine all ingredients and divide into 4 bowls. Serve at room temperature or warmer.
Yield: 4 servings

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