tempura

[ tem-poor-uh ]

noun

, Japanese Cooking.

1. seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried.

tempura

/ ˈtɛmpərə /

noun

1. a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried, often at the table

Word History and Origins

Origin of tempura¹

1935–40; < Japanese tenpura, allegedly < Portuguese tempêro seasoning, taste (derivative of temperar to season < Latin temperāre; temper )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tempura¹

from Japanese: fried food

Example Sentences

He fries cicadas to make tempura, folds sautéed cicadas into Spanish tortillas with potato and onion, and bakes cheesy casseroles with cicada-stuffed pasta shells.

From Seattle Times

I love tempura, first of all, so tempura is my main goal here.

From Los Angeles Times

A bowl of his tempura udon wouldn’t be complete without a sprinkle of shichimi, which, at his dinerlike restaurant, you can find next to the salt and pepper shakers and soy sauce decanter.

From Seattle Times

She was surrounded by lettuce, parsley, mint, alfalfa and purple shiso leaves used for tempura in one of her restaurants.

From New York Times

There were many items on Tamon’s menu, among them tempura, ramen and, of course, sushi.

From Los Angeles Times