The Basics

• A basic tempura batter is combination of egg, flour and water with variations in additional ingredients and cooking methods. Some principles apply universally to preparing tempura to achieve the best results. Use ice water and keep the tempura as cold as possible throughout the process. If it gets too warm, your tempura will be soggy. Stir the batter minimally to ensure a light consistency. Once your fixings are ready, do not crowd your pan when dropping them into the oil. Leaving plenty of room will ensure a constant temperature.

Ingredient Swaps

• Classic tempura recipes call for all-purpose flour or cake flour. To go gluten-free, swap it out for rice flour. Brown rice flour is the most commonly used substitute -- alone or blended with cornstarch, which lends a bite to baked goods and fried foods. You may be tempted to experiment with tapioca or arrowroot powder, yet both are too chewy and dense to produce a good tempura. Another common substitution is using carbonated water instead of regular water, as the bubbles help to create the desired fluffy texture.

Baked Substitutes

• Tempura is not always a healthy food choice because it's fried. One way around this is to bake it instead. Set your oven temperature to approximately 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This way the batter will crisp up quickly, as it would if you placed it in hot oil. Or try panko breadcrumbs in place of flour when baking. Panko breadcrumbs are large, airy flakes intended to give food a crunchier coating. The crunch will replicate that of fried tempura without all of the fat.

Vegetable Alternatives

• Carrots, eggplant, green beans and sweet potatoes are standard tempura fare, but that doesn't mean they're the only vegetables you can use. Instead, use what's in season. Experiment with leafy greens in the winter, asparagus in the spring, peppers in the summer and squash in the fall.

  Tempura is traditionally served on a piece of absorbent paper with a sprinkle of sea salt. Expand your tempura repertoire by serving it atop a bowl of soba noodles in broth or on a bed of hot rice -- otherwise known as tendon.