Tempura 天ぷら
Seafood and vegetables dipped in a light batter and deep-fried. It is eaten on its own, over rice or with noodles.
About Tempura
- What it is: Pieces of prawn, fish, aubergine, mushrooms, pumpkin, sweet potato and shiso leaf in a batter of egg, water and flour. Kakiage is a fried patty of mixed vegetables and seafood.
- History: An early form was brought to Nagasaki by the Portuguese in the 16th century. It later became street food in Edo (now Tokyo).
- Where to try it: Specialist tempura restaurants, often with counter seats where the chef fries in front of you. It is also found in soba and udon shops, family restaurants and department-store food halls.
- How to eat it: Dip in tentsuyu, a sauce of dashi, soy sauce and mirin with grated daikon, or simply sprinkle with salt. Tendon (tempura over rice) already has sauce, so it needs nothing extra.
- Price: Casual tempura meals are roughly 600 to 2,000 yen; high-end restaurants cost much more.
SeasonAll year
Checked against: Tempura | japan-guide.com · Tempura | Glossary | Kikkoman Corporation.
Tempura on Shibuya246
No photos of this one on the blog yet. The notes above come from official and food-guide sources and are checked every quarter. Our own photos will appear here once we've written about it.