What type of vegetable oil should I use for tempura?

Question

If I want to make a really superior vegetable or seafood tempura, what kind of oil should I use, and what temperature should I heat it to?

I've been using refined peanut oil (Lion & Globe brand) and heating it to around 375F. However, the results haven't been as good as I'd like them to be. Would using a different type of oil help?

Asked by FuzzyChef

Answer

Peanut oil is good although it is not a cooking oil that is used a lot in Japan. I have never seen or tasted tempura fried in sesame oil. Traditionally, sesame oil is used in small quantities for flavouring and aroma, not usually for deep frying. However, hooray for experimentation! As long as the final product tastes good. As mentioned, most any oil that can be used for deep frying is acceptable for tempura. I prefer corn or canola oil. It is best to use a thermometer to keep your temperature consistent at around 350° F (not more than 360° F) which will help keep your tempura the same colour and crispness. It's also important to keep your batter cold (use cold water and refrigerate) so that the batter doesn't absorb too much oil and stays crispy. The batter should be a little runny (can be a little lumpy; do not overmix) and shouldn't overly coat the vegetable/seafood. Japanese chefs use their hands to coat the vegetable/seafood in the batter and then into the oil so they can work more quickly. Once they put the tempura into the oil, they sometimes take some batter and splash it onto the tempura in the fryer to give the pieces a "flakier" appearance.

Answered by JapaChef

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