<P> Tempura (天ぷら or 天麩羅, tenpura, (tẽ̞mpɯβra)) is Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried . The dish was influenced by fritter - cooking techniques introduced by Portuguese residing in Nagasaki in the 16th century, and the name "tempura" relates to that origin . </P> <P> A light batter is made of cold water (sometimes sparkling water is used to keep the batter light) and soft wheat flour (cake, pastry or all - purpose flour). Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and / or spices may also be added . Tempura batter is traditionally mixed in small batches using chopsticks for only a few seconds, leaving lumps in the mixture that, along with the cold batter temperature, result in the unique fluffy and crisp tempura structure when cooked . The batter is often kept cold by adding ice, or by placing the bowl inside a larger bowl with ice in it . Overmixing the batter will result in activation of wheat gluten, which causes the flour mixture to become soft and dough - like when fried . </P> <P> Specially formulated tempura flour is available in worldwide supermarkets . This is generally light (low - gluten) flour, and occasionally contains leaveners such as baking powder . </P>

What kind of flour is in tempura batter