Batter mix for mixed tempura, batter liquid for mixed tempura, and method for producing mixed tempura

Abstract

Provided is a batter mix for tempura, which contains 1 mass% or more but less than 15 mass% of a heat-treated wheat flour. Also provided is a batter liquid for tempura, which contains 100 parts by mass of a powdery raw material containing 1 mass% or more but less than 15 mass% of a heat-treated wheat flour and 80-130 parts by mass of a water-based liquid, and has a viscosity of 4-10 Pa·s as measured with a B-type viscometer at 25°C at a rotation speed of 3-12 rpm. The batter mix and batter liquid for mixed tempura are suitable for the production of mixed tempura using a mold.

Description

Batter mix for tempura, batter liquid for tempura, and method for producing tempura

[0001] The present invention relates to a batter mix for tempura, a batter liquid for tempura, and a method for producing tempura.

[0002] Kakiage is a type of tempura made with chopped ingredients such as onions, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms, as well as small ingredients such as edamame and shrimp. While regular tempura has a structure in which a batter is attached to the surface of a single ingredient, kakiage has a structure in which multiple ingredients are piled up and held together by the batter, with spaces inside. Due to this structure, when you chew kakiage, you can enjoy not only the crispy texture of the batter, but also the texture of the piled up ingredients falling apart.

[0003] The production of kakiage requires skill. Typically, the ingredients are dusted with flour as needed, while the coating ingredients are dissolved in water to prepare a batter. The ingredients and batter are then combined to form a mixture. This mixture is then poured into a ladleful, in an amount sufficient for one kakiage, and slowly poured into a heated oil bath. The batter acts as a binder to hold the ingredients together, while the mixture is shaped and deep-fried to form a three-dimensional shape with air gaps. However, deep-frying while shaping into a three-dimensional shape is difficult, and it is not uncommon for the ingredients to fall apart or, conversely, to form into a compact shape with no air gaps. Therefore, various kakiage cooking utensils have been proposed to stabilize the quality of kakiage, including its appearance, color, and weight. One type of kakiage cooking utensil, known as a kakiage ring, is commercially available. It is a ring-shaped mold approximately 10-15 cm in diameter and several centimeters high. A mixture of ingredients and batter liquid is placed inside the mold, and the mold is submerged in an oil tank to deep fry the mixture, thereby enabling the stable production of cylindrical kakiage of uniform size.

[0004] The above-mentioned mold is useful for making the shape (external shape) of the kakiage uniform, but the mixture of ingredients and batter placed in the mold gradually sinks under its own weight, so if it is not operated quickly, the kakiage will be low in height and have few voids. This sinking can be slowed by adding less water to the batter to make it thicker, i.e., more viscous, but using a thick batter will result in a kakiage with a hard texture and less crispness. On the other hand, if more water is added to make the texture lighter and crispier, the viscosity of the batter will decrease, making the mixture of ingredients and batter more likely to sink, resulting in a lower height of the kakiage.

[0005] Regarding the viscosity of the batter used in making kakiage, Patent Document 1 describes a method for making kakiage using a batter mix and dusting flour with a specific protein content, in which the viscosity of the batter is set to 100 to 3,000 mPas, thereby producing kakiage with a high volume and sufficient voids. Patent Document 2 also describes a method for making kakiage using a batter mix containing 20 to 60% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour and 0.3 to 5% by mass of egg white powder, in which the viscosity of the batter is set to 0.3 to 3 Pas. The technology in Patent Document 2 is intended to improve the ease of release from the mold and the texture of the kakiage.

[0006] It is also known that heat treatment of wheat flour used in batters for tempura and the like inactivates the proteins contained in the wheat flour, preventing the batter from becoming too hard. Patent Document 3 describes that the crispness of the batter is increased when heat-treated wheat flour is included in the batter ingredients at 50 to 95% by mass. Patent Document 4 describes that when a flour mix for deep-frying containing 30 to 93.5% by mass of moist-heat-treated wheat flour obtained by moist-heat treating wheat flour and 0.5 to 30% by mass of dry-heat-treated wheat flour obtained by roasting or frying wheat flour is used, the crispness and hardness are good immediately after frying, and are maintained even after several hours.

[0007] International Publication No. WO 2023 / 277111 International Publication No. WO 2023 / 074835 US Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0227823 JP 2020-99 A

[0008] While the above-mentioned conventional techniques are useful, they require advanced techniques to produce kakiage that is sufficiently tall, easily disintegrates, and has a sufficient crispness. Even when a mold is used to easily prepare kakiage, it is not easy to produce kakiage that is both tall and crisp. In particular, when kakiage is frozen or refrigerated after production and then reheated, it becomes sticky and hard, and the crispness is significantly reduced. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for easily producing kakiage that is sufficiently tall and crisp, and that maintains its crispness even after being frozen or refrigerated.

[0009] As a result of investigations to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors have found that when a batter material for tempura is made to contain a relatively small amount of heat-treated wheat flour, the resulting tempura is less likely to become hard, even if the batter prepared using this batter material has a high viscosity. More specifically, the inventors have found that when a batter containing a relatively small amount of heat-treated wheat flour and having a high viscosity is used, the tempura ingredients mixed with the batter are less likely to sink in a mold due to the high viscosity of the batter, and that when the mold is placed in an oil tank, the ingredients with the batter attached are subjected to a moderate buoyancy and rise to the surface, resulting in a naturally tall tempura. Furthermore, the tempura cooked while being subjected to this buoyancy does not become too hard, and has a strong crispness.

[0010] Based on the above findings, the present invention provides a tempura batter mix containing 1% to less than 15% by weight of heat-treated wheat flour. The present invention also provides a tempura batter containing 100 parts by weight of a powdered raw material containing 1% to less than 15% by weight of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by weight of an aqueous liquid, with a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s as measured at 25°C and 3 to 12 rpm using a Brookfield viscometer. The present invention also provides a method for producing tempura using a mold, using a tempura batter containing 100 parts by weight of a powdered raw material containing 1% to less than 15% by weight of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by weight of an aqueous liquid, with a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s as measured at 25°C and 3 to 12 rpm using a Brookfield viscometer. In this specification, when a numerical range is expressed using the symbol "to", the range also includes the numbers before and after the symbol "to".

[0011] The batter mix for tempura kakiage (hereinafter also referred to as "batter mix") of the present invention contains at least heat-treated wheat flour. The heat-treated wheat flour used in the present invention is wheat flour that has been heat-treated. As the raw wheat flour used for the heat treatment, wheat flour normally used for deep-frying can be used, and examples thereof include strong wheat flour, medium-strength wheat flour, weak wheat flour, and durum flour. Among these, wheat flour with a protein content of 8.5 to 11% by mass, and more preferably 9.5 to 10.7% by mass, is preferred, from the viewpoints that the resulting batter liquid is likely to have the desired viscosity and that the ingredients are likely to be subjected to buoyancy during frying. As such wheat flour, medium-strength wheat flour, weak wheat flour, or a mixture thereof is preferred.

[0012] The heat treatment applied to the raw material wheat flour may be either a moist heat treatment or a dry heat treatment. Dry heat treatment is a heat treatment in which the raw material wheat flour is placed in a container and heated from the outside of the container without adding water, and is a heat treatment that actively evaporates the water in the raw material wheat flour. On the other hand, moist heat treatment is a heat treatment that is carried out while maintaining the water content in the raw material wheat flour or while adding water to the wheat flour, and can be carried out, for example, by adding water to the raw material wheat flour or by directly applying heated steam (saturated steam) to the raw material wheat flour to heat the raw material wheat flour.

[0013] The heat treatment is preferably carried out so that the raw wheat flour is appropriately gelatinized, since this makes it easier for the batter liquid obtained from the batter mix of the present invention to have the desired viscosity. More specifically, the degree of gelatinization of the heat-treated wheat flour is preferably 20 to 60%, more preferably 30 to 50%. The degree of gelatinization of the heat-treated wheat flour can be measured by conventionally known methods, such as the β-amylase-pullulanase method or the β-amylase-amyloglucosidase method.

[0014] To easily obtain heat-treated wheat flour with the above-mentioned degree of gelatinization, moist heat treatment is preferred, and moist heat treatment using steam is more preferred. Such moist heat treatment can be carried out, for example, by introducing raw material wheat flour into a temperature-controlled storage space with steam at 100°C as a heating medium, stirring the raw material wheat flour, and maintaining the raw material wheat flour at a temperature of 90 to 130°C for 1 second to 1 minute. The temperature of the storage space is controlled so as to maintain the raw material wheat flour at the above-mentioned temperature. Such moist heat treatment can be carried out, for example, using the device (closed high-speed mixer) disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-83567.

[0015] The content of the heat-treated wheat flour in the batter mix of the present invention is 1% by mass or more but less than 15% by mass, preferably 2 to 12% by mass, and more preferably 3 to 10% by mass, based on the total mass of the batter mix. If the content of the heat-treated wheat flour is less than 1% by mass or more than 15% by mass, it may be difficult to obtain a sufficiently high tempura, and the resulting tempura may have a hard texture.

[0016] The batter mix of the present invention preferably contains unheated wheat flour in addition to the heat-treated wheat flour, because this strengthens the structure of the kakiage after deep-frying, making it easier to achieve a crisp texture even when reheated after freezing or refrigeration. Examples of unheated wheat flour used in the present invention include strong wheat flour, all-purpose wheat flour, weak wheat flour, and durum flour. Among these, it is preferable to use all-purpose wheat flour and / or weak wheat flour, and it is more preferable to use only all-purpose wheat flour and / or weak wheat flour. In particular, the heat-treated wheat flour preferably contains both all-purpose wheat flour and weak wheat flour, and it is particularly preferable to consist of only all-purpose wheat flour and weak wheat flour. When all-purpose wheat flour and weak wheat flour are included, the mass ratio of the two (former:latter) is preferably 1:5 to 1:1, and even more preferably 1:4 to 1:2.

[0017] The content of non-heat-treated wheat flour in the batter mix of the present invention is 65 to 95% by mass, preferably 70 to 93% by mass, and more preferably 75 to 90% by mass, based on the total mass of the batter mix. If the content of non-heat-treated wheat flour is less than 65% by mass or more than 95% by mass, the tempura tends to have a hard texture.

[0018] The batter mix of the present invention may contain ingredients other than the aforementioned ingredients (heat-treated wheat flour, non-heat-treated wheat flour). These ingredients can be any ingredients commonly used in the coating of tempura kakiage (fried tempura). Examples of such ingredients include starches such as unmodified starch and modified starch; dextrin; sugars; sugar alcohols; fats and oils; proteins; leavening agents; gelling agents; thickeners; seasonings; spices; flavorings; colorings; and the like. Any one of these ingredients may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The content of the other ingredients in the batter mix of the present invention is preferably less than 50% by weight, more preferably 5 to 45% by weight, and even more preferably 10 to 35% by weight, based on the total weight of the batter mix.

[0019] The batter mix of the present invention can be produced by mixing the above-mentioned essential component, heat-treated wheat flour, and the preferred optional component, non-heat-treated wheat flour, and other components used as needed. The batter mix of the present invention is typically in powder form at room temperature and normal pressure. The mixing order and mixing method of each component are not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately taking into account the production efficiency of the batter mix, etc. Examples of mixing methods include a method of stirring and mixing using a stirrer, and a method of mixing using a device such as a mixer.

[0020] When the batter mix of the present invention is used to prepare tempura, the batter mix is ​​usually mixed with an aqueous liquid to prepare a tempura batter, and the batter is then used to prepare tempura. The method for preparing the batter is not particularly limited, and the batter mix of the present invention may be mixed with an aqueous liquid, or each component of the batter mix of the present invention (heat-treated wheat flour, non-heat-treated wheat flour, etc.) may be added to the aqueous liquid and mixed individually.

[0021] The batter liquid for tempura (hereinafter also referred to as "batter liquid") of the present invention will be described below. The batter liquid of the present invention contains 100 parts by mass of a powder raw material containing 1% by mass or more but less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour, and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, and has a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s at 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm as measured by a Brookfield viscometer. Where no particular explanation is given about the batter liquid of the present invention, the explanation of the batter mix of the present invention described above applies as appropriate.

[0022] The batter of the present invention is a coating material that is liquid at room temperature and normal pressure, and contains a powder ingredient containing 1% to less than 15% by weight of heat-treated wheat flour, and an aqueous liquid. The powder ingredient can be the batter mix of the present invention described above. The aqueous liquid can be any liquid that can be used in batters for deep-fried foods, including tempura batters, without any particular restrictions, and examples thereof include water, acidic water, alkaline water, etc.

[0023] The batter liquid of the present invention contains 80 to 130 parts by mass, preferably 90 to 120 parts by mass, of the aqueous liquid per 100 parts by mass of the powdered raw materials, as described above. When the contents of the powdered raw materials and the aqueous liquid are within these ranges, the ingredients are subjected to an appropriate amount of buoyancy in the oil tank, making it easier to form the tempura into a three-dimensional shape, and the resulting tempura does not have a hard texture and has a good crispness.

[0024] Furthermore, as described above, the viscosity of the batter liquid of the present invention is 4 to 10 Pa·s, preferably 4.8 to 8.1 Pa·s. When the viscosity of the batter liquid is within this range, the ingredients of the tempura do not sink easily within the mold, making it possible to easily produce tall tempura. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the viscosity of the batter is a value measured using a Brookfield viscometer under conditions where the product temperature of the batter liquid to be measured is 25°C and the rotation speed is 3 to 12 rpm. The batter mix and batter liquid of the present invention described above are suitable for tempura produced by frying using a mold.

[0025] The method for producing tempura of the present invention will be described below. The method for producing tempura of the present invention is a method for producing tempura using a mold, and uses a tempura batter containing 100 parts by mass of a powder ingredient containing 1% by mass or more but less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, and having a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s at 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm as measured by a Brookfield viscometer. Where no particular explanation is given about the method for producing tempura of the present invention, the explanations of the batter mix of the present invention or the batter of the present invention described above apply as appropriate.

[0026] In the method for producing kakiage of the present invention, ingredients and batter liquid are used as the raw materials for kakiage. The batter liquid can be the batter liquid of the present invention described above. The ingredients are not particularly limited as long as they can be used for kakiage, and examples include vegetables such as onions, carrots, green vegetables, and sweet potatoes; beans such as kidney beans and edamame; mushrooms such as shiitake and maitake; seafood such as shrimp, squid, and clams; meat such as poultry and pork; eggs; cheeses; nuts and seeds; and processed food materials obtained by subjecting these ingredients to processing such as heating.

[0027] The shape of the ingredients is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of facilitating the production of three-dimensional kakiage, shapes that are long in one direction, such as strips or clappers, are preferred. The size of the ingredients is also not particularly limited, but generally, the longitudinal length is preferably about 2 to 6 cm, and the thickness (length in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) is preferably about 0.2 to 1.5 cm. However, when the ingredients are relatively thin, such as leafy vegetables, or when the ingredients are seafood or meat, the shape and size of the ingredients are not limited to these.

[0028] In the method for producing kakiage of the present invention, a mixture of ingredients and batter (hereinafter also referred to as "dough for kakiage") is deep-fried. The dough for kakiage is typically obtained by applying batter to the surface of the ingredients. If necessary, flour may be sprinkled on the surface of the ingredients before applying the batter to the ingredients.

[0029] The amount of batter used relative to the ingredients when producing the tempura dough is preferably 25 to 45 parts by mass, more preferably 30 to 40 parts by mass, in terms of the mass of solids in the batter relative to 100 parts by mass of the ingredients. Using such an amount of batter makes it easier to obtain tempura with sufficient height and good crispness.

[0030] In the method for producing tempura-fried vegetables of the present invention, the tempura dough is fried using a mold. Any cooking utensil that can be used for frying tempura dough can be used as the mold, without any particular restrictions. The mold is typically made of metal and includes a storage section with a capacity for one tempura, consisting of a bottom plate and a frame member standing upright from the bottom plate. The bottom plate and the frame member have multiple through-holes, and when the storage section is placed in an oil tank, oil in the oil tank flows into the storage section through the through-holes. By placing the storage section with tempura dough contained in it in the oil tank, the tempura dough is fried to produce tempura. A commercially available mold can also be used. The bottom plate and frame member of the mold may be made of metal mesh instead of having multiple through-holes as described above.

[0031] In the method for producing kakiage of the present invention, the kakiage dough can be fried using a mold in a conventional manner. Typically, the kakiage dough is placed in a mold, and the mold is submerged in heated oil for frying. Then, when the batter (coating material) in the kakiage dough during frying has solidified to an appropriate degree, or when the batter (coating material) has acquired an appropriate color and is cooked through, the mold is lifted from the oil and the kakiage is removed from the mold. Alternatively, the mold can be submerged deep in the oil, allowing the buoyancy of the kakiage to cause it to float up and be removed. In the method for producing kakiage of the present invention, the timing of the operation of peeling the kakiage from the mold is not particularly limited; it may be performed after the end of frying or during frying.

[0032] In the method for producing kakiage (fried tempura) of the present invention, the oil temperature (product temperature of frying oil) when frying the kakiage dough using a mold is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of further improving the release of the kakiage from the mold, it is preferably 150 to 170° C., more preferably 155 to 165° C. The oil used for frying is not particularly limited, and various edible oils can be used.

[0033] The aspects of the present invention are as follows, for example: <1> A tempura batter mix containing 1% by mass or more and less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour. <2> The tempura batter mix according to <1> above, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour has a protein content of 8.5 to 11% by mass. <3> The tempura batter mix according to <1> or <2> above, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour has a degree of gelatinization of 20 to 60%. <4> The tempura batter mix according to any one of <1> to <3> above, further containing non-heat-treated wheat flour, wherein the non-heat-treated wheat flour comprises all-purpose wheat flour and soft wheat flour. <5> A tempura batter liquid containing 100 parts by mass of a powdered raw material containing 1% by mass or more and less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, and having a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa s at 25°C and 3 to 12 rpm as measured with a Brookfield viscometer. <6> A method for producing kakiage using a mold, comprising using a kakiage batter containing 100 parts by mass of a powder raw material containing 1% by mass or more and less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, the batter having a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa s at 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm as measured with a Brookfield viscometer. <7> The method for producing kakiage according to <6>, wherein 25 to 45 parts by mass of the batter is used in terms of solid content per 100 parts by mass of the ingredients.

[0034] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. In the following examples, unless otherwise noted, "weak wheat flour," "medium wheat flour," and "strong wheat flour" are all non-heat-treated products.

[0035] [Production Example 1] Preparation of Heat-Treated Wheat Flours 1 to 6 Heat-treated wheat flour 1 was produced by moist heat treatment. Specifically, using the device (closed high-speed mixer) disclosed in JP 3-83567 A, the temperature of the wall defining the storage space for the treated material (raw material wheat flour) in the device was maintained at 120°C, while 100°C steam was introduced into the storage space as a heating medium. 5 kg of all-purpose wheat flour (protein content 9%) was added as the raw material wheat flour into the storage space, and the raw material wheat flour was stirred while the raw material wheat flour was heated to a temperature of 105°C and maintained for 20 to 30 seconds. This moist heat treatment produced heat-treated wheat flour 1. Heat-treated wheat flours 2 to 6 were produced in the same manner as heat-treated wheat flour 1, except that the time for maintaining the raw material wheat flour at 105°C was changed. The degree of gelatinization of heat-treated wheat flours 1 to 6 was measured using the β-amylase-amyloglucosidase method. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0036] [Production Example 2] Preparation of Heat-Treated Wheat Flour 7 to 12 Heat-treated wheat flour 7 to 12 were produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1, except that instead of medium-strength wheat flour (protein content 9%), medium-strength wheat flour (protein content 10.5%), weak wheat flour (protein content 8%), or strong wheat flour (protein content 11.5%) was used as the raw wheat flour, and the time for maintaining the raw wheat flour temperature at 105°C was changed so as to achieve the degree of gelatinization shown in Table 1. The degree of gelatinization shown in Table 1 was measured using the β-amylase-amyloglucosidase method.

[0037]

[0038] [Examples 1 to 13, Comparative Examples 1 and 2] Batter mixes for tempura were prepared by mixing the ingredients according to the formulations shown in Tables 2 and 3 below. 100 parts by mass of this batter mix was added to 100 parts by mass of fresh water to prepare a batter liquid. The viscosity of the resulting batter liquid was measured using a Brookfield viscometer (RION YT-06) at a product temperature of 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3 below.

[0039] Kakiage tempura were produced using the batter liquid of each Example and Comparative Example. Specifically, chopped onion (7mm x 3mm x 40mm), carrot (4mm x 4mm x 40mm), and diced vegetable mix (3mm x 3mm x 3mm) were mixed in a mass ratio of 4:1:1 to prepare the ingredients. 5g of soft wheat flour was sprinkled onto 100g of the ingredients as a dusting powder, and then the ingredients were mixed at a ratio of 60g of the batter liquid (30g solids mass) per 100g of the ingredients to apply the batter liquid to the entire ingredients, thereby preparing the tempura dough. Several tempura molds (made of metal mesh) were prepared, and 120g of the tempura dough was placed inside each mold. The mold had a bottom plate that was circular in plan view and had a diameter of 9.5 cm, and a cylindrical frame member that stood upright from the bottom plate and had a height of 4.5 cm. The space defined by the bottom plate and the frame member was the storage area for the ingredients. The tempura dough in the mold was then adjusted to match the top edge of the mold (4.5 cm high), and the mold was then submerged in an oil bath with an oil temperature of 165°C. The tempura dough was then deep-fried for 1.5 minutes with the dough completely submerged in the oil, producing roughly cylindrical (drum-shaped) tempura. One minute after the start of deep-frying, the mold was shaken to separate the tempura from the mold.

[0040] Ten pieces of tempura were made for each batter, and the height of each of the ten pieces was measured and the average value was calculated. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3 below. The prepared tempura were then eaten by 10 expert panelists, who rated their texture on a 5-point scale using the following evaluation criteria. The arithmetic mean of the scores of the 10 panelists is shown in Tables 2 and 3 below. The prepared tempura were cooled to room temperature, sealed in a polyethylene bag, and stored in a freezer at -20°C for 7 days. After storage, they were removed from the freezer and reheated in an oil bath at 160°C for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The reheated tempura were then eaten by 10 expert panelists, who rated their texture on a 5-point scale using the following evaluation criteria. The arithmetic mean of the scores of the 10 panelists is shown in Tables 2 and 3 below.

[0041] <Evaluation criteria for tempura texture> 5 points: Very strong crispness, very good disintegration during chewing, very good. 4 points: Strong crispness, some resistance during chewing but good disintegration, good. 3 points: Crispness, some difficulty in disintegrating during chewing, somewhat good. 2 points: Somewhat hard texture, sticky during chewing and somewhat difficult to disintegrate, poor. 1 point: Sticky and hard texture, sticky and difficult to disintegrate during chewing, extremely poor.

[0042]

[0043]

[0044] The results in Tables 2 and 3 show that the tempura made from the batter mixes of the examples using heat-treated wheat flour are thicker and have a better texture than the comparative examples using ordinary soft wheat flour or medium-strength wheat flour. In particular, the results were particularly good when heat-treated medium-strength wheat flour with a protein content of 10.5% by mass was used (Examples 7 and 8). Furthermore, the results were better when heat-treated wheat flour with a degree of gelatinization of 20 to 60% was used (Examples 2 to 5) than when heat-treated wheat flour with a degree of gelatinization of 10% or 70% was used (Examples 1 and 6).

[0045] [Examples 15 to 20, Comparative Examples 3 and 4] Except for changing the formulation of the batter mix as shown in Table 4, batter liquid was prepared in the same manner as in Example 7, and tempura was made using the batter liquid, and the height of the tempura was measured and the texture was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4. Table 4 also lists the results of Example 7.

[0046]

[0047] [Examples 21 to 27] Except for changing the formulation of the batter mix as shown in Table 5, batter liquid was prepared in the same manner as in Example 7, and tempura was made using the batter liquid, and the height of the tempura was measured and the texture was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5. Table 5 also lists the results of Example 7.

[0048]

[0049] Examples 28 to 33 Using the batter liquid of Example 7, when preparing the dough for tempura, the amount of batter liquid added per 100 g of ingredients was changed to the amount shown in Table 6 (the amount of batter liquid (as solid mass) per 100 parts by mass of ingredients at this time was as shown in Table 6), and other than that, tempura were produced in the same manner as in Example 7, and the height of the tempura was measured and the texture was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 6. Table 6 also lists the results of Example 7.

[0050]

[0051] A batter liquid having a specific viscosity according to the present invention is prepared from the batter mix for tempura of the present invention, and by using a mold together with the batter liquid, tempura can be easily obtained that has sufficient height and crispness and maintains its crispness even after being stored in a freezer or refrigerator.

Claims

1. A batter mix for tempura containing 1% by mass or more and less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour.

2. A batter mix for tempura according to claim 1, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour has a protein content of 8.5 to 11% by mass.

3. A batter mix for tempura according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour has a degree of gelatinization of 20 to 60%.

4. A batter mix for tempura according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising non-heat-treated wheat flour, the non-heat-treated wheat flour including medium-strength wheat flour and weak wheat flour.

5. A batter liquid for tempura, comprising 100 parts by mass of a powdered raw material containing 1% by mass or more but less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, and having a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s at 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm as measured with a B-type viscometer.

6. A method for producing tempura using a mold, comprising: 100 parts by mass of a powdered raw material containing 1% by mass or more but less than 15% by mass of heat-treated wheat flour; and 80 to 130 parts by mass of an aqueous liquid, the batter having a viscosity of 4 to 10 Pa·s at 25°C and a rotation speed of 3 to 12 rpm as measured with a B-type viscometer.

7. The method for producing tempura described in claim 6, wherein the tempura batter is used in an amount of 25 to 45 parts by mass in terms of solid content per 100 parts by mass of the ingredients.