Ok, so deep frying food isn’t the healthiest thing out there you can do. But it is one of the most delicious. That’s right. If someone tells you they don’t like a little deep fried goodness every now and then, they’re lying to you. Because a good solid deep fry batter recipe standby is imperative, and there are some recipes where a deep fry batter is crucial. And it’s not what you’d immediately think of (like fried chicken). No, we’re talking about cultural standbys like egg rolls, falafel, fried pickles, fritters, and a fan favorite – tempura.
There are quite a few options you have when it comes to creating a deep fry batter, and they both start with two basic varieties: wet batter and dry batter. We’ll let you guess how they differ. While dry batter is great for some things, like using an egg wash to cook up a quick schnitzel, sometimes you need something a little more substantial and that’s where the beauty of a wet batter comes in. A wet deep fry batter offers a more thorough fried covering and just gives your food a more traditional deep fried taste and texture. It’s what you think of when you think of tempura – an almost fluffy, crispy golden brown covering that works well on everything from seafood to vegetables.
Today, we’re going to talk about how to make a deep fry batter of the wet variety. It’s important to keep in mind that a wet batter is best when thought of as a blank slate for you to add flavor to. The most basic wet batter is made up of flour and water (using a 1:2 ratio, so 1 cup of flour and 2 cups of water). We like to mix things up a little here at The Culinary Exchange, so we use a slightly modified version, which we’ll share below.
Now, back to wet batters. There’s a huge range of deep fry batter options that people will use for different types of recipes. There’s beer batter, which is commonly used for seafood (like fish and shrimp); egg white batter, which fries up fluffy and tender; yeast batter, which creates a thicker and crispier shell; and a baking powder batter, which helps the batter rise and provides a more filling and crispy outer layer.
The batter we’re using today is a bit of a hybrid of the beer deep fry batter, and it’s something we picked up from Sam Sifton, the Food Editor of the New York Times. His take on a non-alcoholic version of beer batter is truly great and worth a shoutout.
Start with four simple ingredients: 1/2 cup of all purpose flour; 1/2 cup of rice flour; 1 egg; 1/2 cup of seltzer water (keep refrigerated beforehand so it’s cold). In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and the cold seltzer until it’s frothy. Slowly sift in the all purpose flour and rice flour and keep mixing until the deep fry batter is smooth. You’ll want to use this batter immediately, so that the effect from the seltzer isn’t lost.
Before deep frying, make sure whatever you’re frying is completely dry (this helps mitigate oil popping out of the pot and onto your skin). Dip the food into the batter and place in the oil. Fry it until the batter turns a golden brown and you’re done!
Do you have a favorite deep fry batter recipe? Share it with us in the comments!
