There are 3 golden rules to making a good tempura batter: keep it ice cold, dont over-mix and use it immediately.
Ingredients
| 600 g | Tofu, soft (2 blocks) (Main) |
| 1 cup | Tamarind sauce, cashew flavoured |
| ½ cup | Japanese dipping sauce |
| 1 to fry | Vegetable oil |
| 4 Tbsp | Cornflour |
| ½ cup | Flour |
| ¾ cup | Soda water, chilled |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
| 4 pieces | Ice, cubes |
| 1 ½ cups | Panko breadcrumbs (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Sesame seeds, toasted |
Directions
- Drain and pat dry the tofu with paper towels.
- Cut each block of tofu into 6 cubes.
- Prepare the Tamarind Cashew Sauce and Japanese Dipping Sauce.
- Place a wok or large saucepan over a high heat filled with plenty of oil for deep-frying.
- While the oil is heating, in a medium-sized bowl combine the flours.
- Add the soda water, ice and salt. Very lightly whisk together. Do not worry about small lumps as it is important not to over-mix the batter.
- In another bowl place the panko crumbs.
- To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a little of the tempura mix into the hot oil. If it rises to the surface immediately and is crispy, the oil is hot enough to start frying the tofu.
- Dip the cubes of tofu into the tempura batter and then coat with the panko crumbs.
- Carefully drop 3 or 4 pieces of tofu into the oil at a time, so as not to over-crowd the pan.
- Fry for a few minutes or until crispy and golden. Drain well on paper towels. Repeat the process until all the tofu is cooked.
- Top with a little Tamarind Cashew Sauce, a sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of our Japanese Dipping Sauce.