Tempura is a light batter. Some recipes use special kinds of flour, while others simply use two ingredients, like one of our recipes (Fried courgette sticks with cheese dip). The key thing is to keep the mixture very cold: the contrast in temperature between the cold mixture and hot oil creates the crispy texture.
You can use tempura to batter king prawns, squid, fish fingers or any kind of vegetable. It’s best to partly boil hard vegetables, such as carrots or fresh asparagus, before battering.