What is Oyster Tempura?
Oyster tempura is a deep fried seafood item. Made by dipping raw, shucked oysters in a light tempura batter. The oysters are fried in hot oil until the meat is tender and the tempura shell is light, golden and crispy. The flavor is umami with hints of minerals and salt.
Ingredients
...The oyster is an ocean dwelling mollusk with a hard shell protecting its soft body. Oysters served as a food generally have a white and grey shell of 2-3 inches. The shell pops open when the oyster is cooked, revealing a plump, springy and juicy oyster with a misshapen oblong body, white flesh and brown/grey edges. Raw oysters have a slightly translucent body and a slippery texture with a gentle chew to them. The flavor is mild, briny and sometimes coppery with a seafood/fishy taste.
...Corn flour is made from dried corn kernels. The kernels are ground into a fine flour that can be used in baking. The flour is soft and has a mildly sweet corn flavor when baked into a bread or any other item. Corn flour can also be used for encrusting fish and meat. The difference between white and yellow corn flour is the color of the kernel.
...Rice flour is made by grinding the rice grain. Rice flour can be made using white or brown rice, though white rice flour is used far more frequently than brown rice flour. White rice flour is white and fine like a wheat flour, but has a coarser and drier texture. Rice flour made from glutinous rice has a much finer texture and is almost like a powder. White rice flour can be used for baked goods, as well as pan-cooked flatbreads. It is useful in many savory and sweet applications. The flavor is bland.
...Baking powder is a fine, white, powdery substance with a neutral smell and a very bland taste. It is an acid and used to instantly leaven baked goods. It reacts when it touches moisture and differs from yeast because of its instant leavening reaction. Baking powder is primarily used in flour-based baked goods to help cakes and cookies rise. Baking powder can be found in many non-yeast baked goods.
...Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.