From my own experiments:
1) Big wok style cooking pot. I use a de Buyer carbon steel beast that can easily accommodate a gallon of oil. The wide tapered sides means there’s less risk of the oil boiling over.
2) Peanut oil works best - high smoke point, sustained high temperature. I use a
ChefAlarm thermometer from Thermoworks . The prob clips on the side of the pan. The cable and alarm set up means there’s no guess work or risk with a handheld device.
3) I use a cake flour or potato flour and cold sparkling water, 50-50 by volume. I mix the batter in a small bowl sitting in a larger bowl of ice water with ice cubes.
4) Cook in small batches. The oil temp drops a lot when you add food. If it drops too far, then the food can be come soggy and oily rather than steamed and crisp. I try and start cooking at around 190’C / 375’f and try not to drop below 160’C / 320’f - 170-180’C / 340 - 350’f is the sweet spot.
5) I don’t use kitchen paper, I just put the food on a wire rack over a baking tray. It’s way easier to cook for other people than your self. I normally cook it on a Friday night with drinks when everyone else is sitting at the kitchen bar. I can keep up with demand that way, serving a couple of small portions every couple of minutes.
I’ve been fortunate enough to eat Tempura in the UK, where its more like Fish and Chips batter, the US where it’s definitely way sweeter and more doughy, like your experience, and Japan, where it’s an ethereal crispy texture. I would say in the west, people want something more substantial and it’s as much about the batter as it is the sauces and lastly, the veg. In Japan it’s mostly about the veg, then the dipping sauce and lastly the batter, which is a texture and way of keeping the food steamed, fresh, crispy and tasty.
Thanks for sharing and great to read about your experimentation and lack of fear in the kitchen.
I never used egg or psyllium husks - interesting! I have some husks in the cupboard after another experiment with low carb (and my last).
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