The Japanese cooking technique of deep-frying seafood and vegetables in a light batter is tempura.
Tempura is made by dipping thin pieces of seafood or vegetables into a light batter and briefly frying them in hot oil. The batter commonly contains iced water, egg, and soft wheat flour. It is mixed only briefly, often with chopsticks, so small lumps remain and the finished coating becomes airy, crisp, and delicate rather than doughy. Unlike many Western fried foods, traditional tempura is not coated in breadcrumbs such as panko.
Typical ingredients include shrimp, squid, fish, eggplant, sweet potato, shiso leaves, mushrooms, and peppers. Tempura may be eaten with salt or with tentsuyu, a dipping sauce usually made from dashi, mirin, and soy sauce, often accompanied by grated daikon.
The technique became established in Japan after Portuguese missionaries introduced European-style batter frying to Nagasaki in the sixteenth century. Its name may relate to tempora, Latin associated with Christian fasting days when fish and vegetables were eaten. Tempura later developed into a refined Japanese cuisine and became especially popular in Edo-period food stalls.
Sashimi is raw seafood, sukiyaki is a simmered dish, and teriyaki refers to a sweet-savory grilling or broiling style.