National Tempura Day is celebrated annually on January 7th a yummy time to celebrate Tempura, a fantastic Japanese dish made from deep-frying Vegetables, Seafood, or other foods dipped in a light batter of Flour, Eggs, and Water.
Tempura is a dish neither Charlie or I’ve had and we don’t plan on trying it anytime soon. As for David knowing him I don’t think he would either but Vegetables and David don’t get along at all. The question is do you like Tempura?
Did you know Tempura has been with us for about three centuries? Although the Portuguese living in Nagasaki in the 16th Century introduced Tempura. I wanted to let you know Tempura has become entrenched in Japanese culture.
You can find Tempura everywhere in Japan today. On National Tempura Day, you can enjoy Tempura in different ways, including with a dipping sauce of your choice or something more experimental like Tempura Ice Cream.
if your like a lot of people you may be quite familiar with Japanese dishes like Ramen, Sushi, Sashimi, and a host of others, but what about Tempura? People will definitely want to know more about this delicacy! Interestingly, Tempura is one of the most commonly served Japanese dishes inside and outside the shores of Japan. When Japanese foods are mentioned, the thought of either Tempura or Sushi comes to mind.
However, the question is how did Tempura become so popular and special to be celebrated? Portuguese missionaries originally introduced the deep-fried food method of cooking now associated with Tempura in the Japanese City, Nagasaki, in the 1600s.
The original Tempura dish was served during Lent, an annual Christian event where many Christian denominations are forbidden to eat Meat. Remarkably, the name ‘Tempura’ stems from the Latin word ‘Ad Tempora Cuaresme,’ meaning “in the time of Lent.” The event was mistaken for the dish’s name, and Tempura came to stay.
When Tempura was introduced, this method of deep-frying food was not common and relatively new to Japan. The Japanese caught on to the new technique and skillfully made art out of it. Tempura today has become a sought-after snack that accompanies meals in households and public places.
From it’s inception, Tempura was made up of minced Meat in a ball shape, Fish, and Vegetables, but in the 1800s, Japanese Chefs tried frying Fish and Vegetables together. As a result, the Japanese culinary style became fully immersed in Tempura and became uniquely Japanese.
Today, the preparation and sales of Tempura have become an important part of Japanese cuisine. Through the transformation of Tempura, the Japanese have shown their brilliance in consolidating foreign foods into unique Japanese foods.
National Tempura Day Activities
- National Tempura Day is all about celebrating the richness of this Japanese dish, and what better way than preparing Tempura!
- To make this day memorable, you could challenge yourself and your friends and family to prepare the best Tempura they ever made.
- Host a party and serves dishes of Tempura for everyone to eat, giving you the perfect way to celebrate National Tempura Day.
- If you have the means and the opportunity today walk into any Japanese restaurant and order the Tempura dish and enjoy!
Facts About Tempura
- When celebrating National Tempura Day you can even make Tempura into a sweet dessert by using Chocolate and Ice Cream.
- You can find Tempura virtually anywhere in Japan, from Grocery Stores, to restaurants, and even Street Food vendors.
- Restaurants that specialize in the preparation and sales of Tempura in Japan are called Tempura-ya.
- Did you know the classic Tempura Batter uses only three ingredients Cold Water, Cake Flour, and Eggs.
- Bento boxesMany take-out restaurants sell tempura as part of a lunch box meal.
Why People Love National Tempura Day
Tempura tastes yummy, fresh, clean, crispy, and delicate you just need to give it a taste to find that out.
On National Tempura Day, most households, restaurants, and Grocery Stores inside and outside Japan prepare Tempura to celebrate.
Tempura is delicious, and people love Tempura; however, it will only be healthy when you balance the calories and fat and eat Tempura in moderation.
Recipe for Tempura
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup water
Ice cubes, for chilling the water
- Gather the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, sift 1 cup all-purpose flour once or twice to remove any clumps and to make it light and soft. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, gently beat 1 large Egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely incorporated.
- Combine 1 cup water and ice cubes in a cup. Using a strainer, strain the water (you should have 1 cup of ice-cold water) and add it to the bowl with the beaten egg. Do not add ice cubes to the tempura batter.
- Add the sifted flour into the bowl with the egg-water mixture and gently stir using chopsticks until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter; it should be a little lumpy.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
