May 14, 2011

Tempura Making 3

Kogomi or kogome (ostrich fern fiddleheads), deep-fried at 160C for 2 min.
こごみ(こごめ)。160Cで2分揚げました。
I really wish the temperature control had a 170C setting. I often find that 160C is a little bit lower for most vegetables and 180C is a little higher. I guess that not all kitchen equipment designers are good cooks...
Note: The word kogomi seems to be more common than kogome.
温度調節に170Cの設定があればなあ、と思います。大半の野菜には160Cでは低すぎ、180Cでは高すぎると、よく感じます。台所の機器を作るデザイナーすべてが料理が上手なわけではないのだろうと思います...。
注: 「こごみ」のほうが「こごめ」より一般的なようです。

Gyoniku (fish meat) sausage, previously cut diagonally into 1-cm rounds, deep-fried at 160C for 1.5-2 min.
魚肉ソーセージ(既に斜めに切って1センチの輪切りにしたもの)。160Cで1.5~2分揚げました。
You can never taste this kind of tempura at a tempura ya (restaurant specializing in tempura) or any other restaurant. My mother used to make gyoniku sausage tempura when I was a child, and I liked it a lot.
天ぷら屋や他の店でもこのような天ぷらは味わえません。子供の頃、母がよく魚肉ソーセージの天ぷらを作ってくれて、私は大好きでした。

As you can see, the batter is now not lumpy at all. Don't worry. It's still good.
ご覧の通り、衣にはもうダマはありません。ご心配なく。まだ使えます。
Kabocha, previously cut into 5-mm slices, deep-fried at 160C for 2 min.
かぼちゃ(既に5ミリに薄切りしたもの)。160Cで2分揚げました。

Yomogi (mugwort), previously finely chopped, soaked in water for some time to remove aku (harshness), drained, and squeezed to remove excess water; combined with ko ebi (dried small shrimp)
よもぎ(既に細かく刻んで、水にしばらく漬けアクを取り、水を切り、余分な水分を抜くため絞ったもの。小エビと合わせました。
I added a small amount of water to adjust the texture of the batter.
衣の硬さを調節するため、水を少し足しました。

Yomogi kakiage, deep-fried at 160C for 2 min.
よもぎのかき揚げ。160Cで2分揚げました。

The initial batter was completely gone, and I made another batter, with flour (not sifted) and cold water (I mean, tap water) and without an egg. I didn't measure the water or flour this time.
最初の衣はすべて無くなったので、小麦粉(ふってない)と冷水(水道水のこと)で、卵は入れず、また衣を作りました。今度は水も小麦粉も測ってません。
Onion-and-carrot kakiage, deep-fried at 160C for 2-3 min.
玉ねぎとにんじんのかき揚げ。160Cで2~3分揚げました。
One of my favorite combinations for kakiage. I added some ko ebi (dried small shrimp) and edamame (young soybeans) this time.
私が好きな組み合わせの一つです。今回は、小エビと枝豆を足しました。

I combined 2 tbsp flour (not shifted) and 2 tbsp cold water (tap water), and added some ao nori (a type of seaweed) to make a batter.
小麦粉を大さじ2、冷水(水道水)を大さじ2を合わせ、青海苔を少し足して、衣を作りました。
Chikuwa (tubular fish paste product), previously cut diagonally in half, deep-fried at 160C for 1.5-2 min.
竹輪(既に斜めに半分に切ったもの)。160Cで1.5~2分揚げました。
This type of tempura is called iso age or isobe age. Unlike gyokuni sausage tempura, mentioned above, you may have a chance to taste it in a restaurant. Chikuwa iso (isobe) age is so popular.
この種類の天ぷらは磯揚げ、磯辺揚げと呼ばれます。先ほどの魚肉ソーセージ天ぷらとは異なり、お店で味わうチャンスがあるかも知れません。ちくわの磯(磯辺)揚げはそれ程一般的です。

I made another batter, with flour (not shifted) and cold water (tap water) and some salt.
小麦粉(ふってない)と冷水(水道水)と、塩で、また衣を作りました。
I learned this type of batter from my wife. She likes to make sweet potato tempura (imo ten) with this batter so that it can be eaten without tentsuyu.
この衣は妻から教えてもらいました。妻はこの衣で「いも天」を作って、天つゆなしで食べるのが好きです。

Sweet potato slices, being deep-fried:
さつまいもを揚げているところ:
You may think that the pot is too crowded. Don't worry.
随分入れすぎだと思うかもしれませんが、ご心配なく。

To make sweet potato tempura, the batter must be thick. The standard tempura batter, mentioned in the previous post, may be a little bit thin for sweet potato tempura. Add some more flour, if needed. And, you have to deep-fry at a low temperature (160C) for AT LEAST 4 minutes (for 1-cm rounds) to bring out the sweetness of the sweet potato.
さつまいもの天ぷらを作るには、衣が濃くなければいけません。先の投稿で述べた標準的な衣では、さつまいもの天ぷらには薄すぎるかもしれません。必要に応じて、小麦粉を足してください。そして、低温(160C)で少なくとも4分(1センチの輪切りの場合)は揚げて、さつまいもの甘さを引き出す必要があります。

Sweet potato, deep-fried at 160C for more than 5 min.
さつまいも。160Cで5分以上揚げました。

Another batch:
もう一回:
Results:
結果:
I deep-fried the three sweet potatoes in four separate batches in total. It's really time-consuming, but I don't mind because I like sweet potato tempura very much!
3本のさつまいもを、4回に分けて揚げました。本当に時間がかかります。でも気にしません。いも天は大好きなので。

I got this amount of tenkasu (agedama).
天カスがこれだけ取れました。
It's now in the freezer. I think I'll use it to make okonomiyaki.
冷蔵庫に入ってます。お好み焼きを作る時に使おうと思います。

I started to cook soba while I was making preparations for the ingredients. Just when I finished making the initial batter, it was time to drain soba. So, I had to let the batter stand for about 2 min.
蕎麦は、具材の下準備をしている時に茹で始めました。ちょうど最初の衣を作り終えた時に、蕎麦が茹で上がりました。衣は2分ほどそのままにしました。
This photo was taken after my son had much of the soba.
この写真は、息子が蕎麦をかなり食べた後に撮ったものです。

As I mentioned previously, I make it a point to strain oil while it is still hot to prevent it from degrading.
前にも言ったように、油は劣化しないよう、まだ熱いうちに漉すようにしています。
I made this simple dish with the remaining two chikuwa.
残りの2本の竹輪で簡単な料理を作りました。
Chikuwa with cheese sticks inside.
チーズが入った竹輪。
Chikuwa with cucumber sticks in it is also very popular.
きゅうりが入った竹輪も、とても一般的です。
I microwaved the prawn shell and put it in the fridge.
エビの殻は電子レンジで加熱して、冷蔵庫に入れました。
I think I'll grind it and use it in a certain dish as a "hidden flavor".
挽いて、何かの料理に「隠し味」として入れようと思います。

To be continued.
続く。

10 comments:

  1. Love your way to make tenpura. Combining the batter with ao-nori seems pretty delighting :D
    Also, the kogome from fern family... I ever ate it before, slimmy isn't it?
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  2. fred: Thanks for your comment.
    Slimy? No, it isn't.

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  3. Oh, perhaps because I've used boiling method to cook...
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  4. fred: I usually boil fiddleheads for 2 minutes so they stay firm. I know that in some parts of the United States and Canada where fiddleheads are highly valued, fiddleheads are boiled much longer (10 minutes or longer?) for food poisoning issues or something.

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  5. That should be a little different fiddleheads we are talking about... In my country, the fiddleheads also can be eaten when the leaves are opened (older branch, but it can't be called fiddlehead instead^^)
    And so, it's a little bit slimmy fo sure, and no poison afterall...
    I live in Bali by the way.
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  6. fred: Thanks for clarification.
    In Japan, we usually consume three varieties of fern:
    Kogomi (ostrich fern)
    Zenmai (Japanese flowering fern)
    Warabi (bracken)

    Maybe there are other slimy varieties where you live.

    Bali? What a wonderful place you are living in!

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  7. I've confirmed this,
    "Kogomi" surely have slimy texture (according to this blog!) :D
    Zenmai and Warabi seems also common to find here.

    I have a dream to live in such nice place where you're living on! Bali's just too crowded and too much pollution afterall.
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  8. fred: Thanks for another clarification. I did some googling myself and found three blogs where native Japanese describe kogomi as slimy. I also found that mucin is responsible for the slime. This substance is also found in natto, okra, nameko mushroom, and others.
    Well..., the Japanese love slimy foods, and I am pretty sure that most Japanese do not regard kogomi as slimy.

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  9. What tremendous amount of different ingredients and dishes. I will try the mugwort next on, reminds me of deep fried parsley or sage. Thanks for the very detailed description.

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  10. Kiki: Thanks for your compliment, but I'm not satisfied. I haven't yet posted about other ingredients for tempura.

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