Alton Brown tackles tempura

Opening with an homage to Godzilla (honestly what other cooking show would even go off-topic?), Alton Brown reassured home cooks making tempura could be accomplished without stepping into a Japanese restaurant.

In a recent Food Network chat with fans, AB called the puppet used in this episode the "best ever." The opening scene with the Godzilla theme featured this new puppet, large, Cycloptic fiend attacking cooks who attempt making tempura. Of course, Alton gives sound science and inspiration for the home cook to make tempura thus banishing the evil monster wreaking havoc. After all, people in Japan make tempura outside of the restaurant setting. So Western cooks can as well.

Besides the new puppet, the new episode featured a fantastic anime segment to explain the history of tempura in Japan. This segment, again, illustrated what makes Good Eats unique and entertaining.

As for the cooking portion of the program, in fact making tempura is quite simple with the right ingredients and tools. It is important to use flour that is low gluten. AB recommends unbleached cake flour and rice four. Also, I vital step is to keep the batter chilled.

Right now the application for the batter, frying and the dipping sauce is not online at Food Network. Here's what I transcribed.

Tempura batter:

1 egg, beaten
5 oz unbleached cake flour
5 oz white rice flower
1/2 cup vodka
1 1/2 cups seltzer water

Combine the dry items together and the wet items together. Then split in half both the wet team and the dry team.

Place a mixing bowl over another mixing bowl filled with ice.

Dry team goes into the bowl. Wet team next. Mix with a whisk. Use about ten strokes then stop mixing.

Frying:

1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil
Heated to 375 degrees

Start with hardest veggie

Coat thoroughly in the batter. Drain excess batter off.
Put one at a time in the hot oil. Do not over crowd.

Manage heat at 375

Once the item is light brown, remove from the oil. Drain on paper towels.


Soy ginger sauce:

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce

Place ingredients in a jar. Shake to combine.