noun

tempura

tem-POOR-uh/temˈpʊrə/

A Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables coated in light batter and deep-fried.

Light batter coats the shrimp and vegetables in the tempura.

A close view of Japanese tempura: lightly battered shrimp with visible red tails, a fan-cut eggplant slice, and a green bean arranged on a simple ceramic plate beside a small dipping bowl.

Etymology

tempuraJapanesebatter-fried seafood or vegetables

Japanese tempura names the fried dish. Its name is said to come probably from Portuguese tempero, “seasoning,” suggesting a connection with food preparation rather than identifying the ingredients themselves.

In context

Progressive Discussions67:12

you can get cooked Japanese food like uh beef Teryaki um a fried oysters tempura

Open Topic Talk-Holistic Health-Fitness-Sports-Current Issues-Practical Advice-Relationships

More examples

A light batter coated the tempura vegetables.
She dipped a piece of tempura into the sauce.
The tempura was crisp rather than heavy.

Forms

tempura

Similar words

fritter: A fritter is a broader kind of battered or mixed fried food; tempura identifies a Japanese preparation.
breaded: Breaded food has a crumb coating; tempura has a light batter.