heated evenly from all directions, but fairly
gently, giving the cook some leeway in
removing it while it’s still moist inside.
Japanese Tempura The classic Japanese
version of fried fish is fish tempura, a
preparation and term that were borrowed in
the late 16th century from Portuguese and
Spanish missionaries who cooked fish during
fasting seasons (tempora means “period of
time”). Tempura — which now means a
batter-fried food of any sort — is
characterized by relatively small pieces that
cook in just a few minutes, and a fresh, barely
mixed batter made from an egg yolk, 1
cup/120 gm flour, and 1 cup/250 ml ice water
stirred together with chopsticks just before the
frying. As in all batters, cold water makes the
mixture more viscous and thus better retained
on the fish surface. The freshness of the batter
means that the flour particles have little time
to soak up water, so the moisture is rapidly