Tempura is actually quite easy to make at home. Success has mostly to do with the temperature for the cooking oil. Most experts say to avoid overcrowding in the pan. Traditonal Japanese recipes maintain that ice-cold water in the batter is the secret to a crisp, light tempura coating, but in my experience this simply makes the temperature of the oil drop more than necessary, resulting in greasy food. After some experimentation, I've found that my favorite batter is one with good old American beer, which gives me tempura close enough to authentic for my purposes.
Brown paper yields the crispiest treasure.
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