Classic Japanese Tempura Batter

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cake flour
• 1 cup Ice-cold sparkling water
• 1 large Egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
• 0.5 teaspoon Baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoon Sea salt
• 4 pieces Ice cubes(optional)
• 4 cups Vegetable oil for frying
• 0.5 cup Extra cake flour for dredging

Instructions

1. 1

   Sift the cake flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together into a medium bowl to ensure no lumps remain.

2. 2

   In a separate chilled bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk until smooth.

3. 3

   Pour the ice-cold sparkling water into the egg yolk and whisk very briefly.

4. 4

   Add the sifted flour mixture to the liquid ingredients all at once.

5. 5

   Using chopsticks, use a stabbing motion to mix the batter for only 10-15 seconds; do not overmix.

6. 6

   Leave several lumps in the batter and keep the bowl sitting inside a larger bowl of ice to maintain the cold temperature.

7. 7

   Lightly dredge your chilled ingredients in extra flour before dipping them into the cold batter.

8. 8

   Immediately drop the coated items into 340°F (170°C) oil and fry until pale gold and crisp.