Tempura

Tempura is a method of cooking in which the ingredients are dipped in a very light batter before being deep fried.

Tempura can be enjoyed as a standalone dish but is also served alongside other dishes, such as ten-zaru, when served with cold soba noodles, tempura udon, when served in a bowl of hot udon noodles and ten-don, when served on top of a bowl of rice.

While generally tempura is not particularly expensive, dinners at some specialist restaurants can carry hefty price tags.

Typically, seafood such as prawns, squid, eel and white fish and vegetables such as mushrooms, sweet potato and aubergines are commonly served.