Calling it "battered" and "deep-fried" shrimp and veggies is a disservice. TEMPURA is light and delicious, nothing like the kind of breaded shrimp or chicken we get here in the US.

Tempura often comes as part of a larger meal or as a side dish.

There are also tempura restaurants that cook each item as you order it and deliver it to you sizzling hot.

The word supposedly comes from "tempora", or "times" in Latin . . . the "times" when an observant Catholic was not to eat meat. Shrimp, fish and veggies prepared this way fit the bill nicely. The Japanese adopted and adapted what they saw the Portuguese eating and have been happily munching it ever since.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura

---