The Most Annoying Tempura Problem There Is, And How To Avoid It

Fans of tempura delight in the food's wondrously light, crispy qualities. With Japanese street vendors even frying maple leaf snacks, there's an incredibly delicate nature to the technique. Unfortunately, there are no secret hacks to achieving such a  texture. Using a minimalist combination of eggs, flour, and chilled water, tempura specialists train for years in Japan to master the culinary style.

That's not to say that tempura isn't worth attempting at home; you should just keep in mind some common issues. To help with identifying pitfalls, Chowhound exclusively asked Billy Wang for some helpful advice. Owner of New York City restaurant Sanuki Udon, which has a menu section dedicated to the dish, he knows what to do when tempura preparation goes wrong.

Foremost, it's helpful to identify the most annoying tempura problem: batter falling off of your chosen food, whether shrimp or sweet potato. There are few things more frustrating than attempting to coat your prepped ingredients in batter, but the mix just won't stick. Wang identifies two possible reasons for this: "Batter falling off may be due to the surface being too moist or insufficient batter stickiness. To combat such an occurrence, you'll want to pay close attention to the specifics of your batter preparation and application.

A large part of tempura's magic arises due to the batter's unique composition. Achieving its light — yet still adhesive — character is made possible by the careful management of gluten. Agitating dough, using higher protein flours, as well as contact with water leads to more development of this substance. The higher concentration of gluten, the more thick and chewy the result. As a result, chefs employ different techniques to limit gluten from developing. Such food science is the reason club soda is added to fry batters and vodka leads to crispier fried chicken.

While such ingredients can be employed for unconventional tempura, the classic recipe instead finds other ways to mitigate gluten. First off, it's essential to minimize moisture on the food itself, preventing it from affecting the gluten or the batter's ability to stick. Billy Wang says to "ensure the ingredient's surface is completely dry and lightly coat it with flour (pastry or cake flour are good options) to improve adhesion." These flour choices work well since they're low in protein.

And finally, you'll want your tempura batter to have the right consistency to begin with. "When the prepared batter is poured, it should resemble a thin stream," explains Wang. Always prepare your batter fresh and make sure to not overmix it. So, take note of such qualities and tips, and you'll be on your way to tempura success.