Ingredients:

Using cold water (about 40F) is a must. This keeps the batter from becoming sticky. When you add the flour, whisk quickly just to mix it in evenly. Sticky batter results in oily tempura.

1 egg, beaten
1 cup COLD water
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 cup flour

Beat the egg and mix with water. Add flour and whisk quickly.

[Tentsuyu (tempura dip)]

1 tablespoon dashi no moto in 1 cup of water, boiled for two to three minutes
2 tablespoons mirin. You can replace this with 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sake or dry white wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
ginger root to taste, freshly grated (optional)

After you boil the dashi, turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients.

[Vegetables & Fish]

(ingredients and preparation suggestions)

-Carrots, cut into thin sticks (i.e. 1 1/2 inches long)
-Onions, sliced
-Green pepper, cut into rings or any way you want
-Eggplant, thinly sliced
-Broccoli, prepared as for a for salad
-Green onions, (see mixed vegetable tempura — kakiage)
-Zucchini, thinly sliced
-Mushrooms, halved, or whole if small
-Green beans, halved lengthwise, or whole
-Asparagus, bite-sized (deep-fry 3 or 4 sticks together)
-Butternut squash, bite-sized thin slices
-Okra, halved lengthwise
-Snow pea pods, whole
-Cod, bite-sized
-Shrimp, peeled, whole. Dip shrimp in the batter by holding the tail fin, and fry two or three at a time.
-Scallops, whole if small
-Crab, break shell and expose meat before dipping in batter
-Squid, sliced into rings or strips
-Dredge fish in flour before dipping in batter.

Cooking time: 1 hour +

Servings: 4

Cooked octopus.
Cooked prawns.
Raw tuna.
Salmon.
Salmon caviar.
Japanese sticky rice.
Lava seaweed.
Wasabi.
Asparagus.
Shiitake mushrooms.

Instructions for Japanese Sushi:

Pour the cooked rice into a tray.

Finely slice the tuna and salmon.

Put the seaweed onto a sushi mat and press rice down onto it.

Slice the mushrooms and the pieces of asparagus and lay along the rice.

Add the wasabi.

Roll the sushi and cut into slices. Serve with salmon caviar, wasabi and soy.