Tempura is a Japanese specialty that means batter-dipped. For this recipe, instead of using typical pieces of seafood or vegetables dipped in soy sauce and wasabi, delightful scoops of ice cream are used, drizzled with chocolate syrup, cherries and slivers of almonds—quite a dessert to impress family and friends.

“Batter-dipped ice cream is usually deep-fried,” says Boyet Llamador, head chef of Tempura Japanese Grill (tel. 3747460) on Thompson Square, Tomas Morato St., Quezon City. “This recipe, however, requires timing and a good deep-fryer to fry the tempura ice cream. The warm crunchy tempura perfectly pairs with the cold creaminess of the underlying ice cream.”

If you heed some tips, this fried dessert, one of the bestsellers at Tempura in Quezon City, is not so hard to make at home. All its ingredients are in grocery stores. The batter is basic pancake batter with a pinch of salt.

Make sure to serve the tempura ice cream immediately after frying. It is best that, while the tempura ice cream is frozen, you pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.

You can either use slices of loaf bread or taisan to bind the ice cream. And as optional toppings, wafer cookie, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, fresh fruit and powdered sugar are also ideal.

You can also try different flavors of ice cream.

Ingredients:
Slices of bread
Ice cream, any
flavor
Cooking oil
Chocolate syrup
Cherry
Cornstarch for dusting
For batter mix:
150 g cake flour
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
8 oz cold water

For suggestions, e-mail the author at vbaga@inquirer.com.ph.

1. IN A MIXING bowl, combine flour, egg and ice-cold water. Whisk well. Set aside.

2. REMOVE the outer layer of the bread. Place bread on a flat surface with aluminum foil. Press bread firmly using your fingers.

3. PLACE three scoops of ice cream in the middle of the bread.

4. ROLL bread tightly. Then place in freezer, and let sit until completely frozen.

5. REMOVE wrap and roll frozen tempura in cornstarch.

6. DIP TEMPURA into the batter mixture. Cover tempura with the batter evenly.

7. MEANWHILE, heat oil in deep-fryer to 375°F. If you do not have a deep-fryer, you can use a hot pot of oil. Carefully drop the battered ice cream into the hot oil by using kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon.

8. QUICKLY fry tempura for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, until the tempura batter has turned golden.

9. LET COOL for a few seconds. Cut into four pieces. Transfer in a platter. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add cherry.

10. FRIED Tempura Ice Cream

King Herod himself was said to have frequently visited the Dead Sea’s hot springs and found it not only curative of his physical ailments but soothing as well for his frayed nerves. The beautiful Queen Cleopatra was also one of the beneficiaries of the effects of the Dead Sea’s minerals on the human skin, and used the salts and mud from the Dead Sea to maintain her youth. King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba likewise were frequent bathers in the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is a strangely hypersalty body of water around 76 km long, 17 km wide, 1,050 sq km and 365 meters deep, according to our tour guide. It is surrounded by Israel, the Westbank and Jordan. It’s a paradox of sorts. It’s supposed to be higher than sea level, yet it is the lowest point on earth, 400 meters (1,300 feet) below sea level.

It’s called the Dead Sea because no fish or anything living could live in it due to its excessive salt and mineral content. However, the positive combination of the minerals and salts accounts for its healing properties. It’s quite paradoxical that a sea (it’s actually a lake), wherein no aquatic creatures can thrive, can be a source of good health and beauty.

The salinity of the Dead Sea reaches a concentration of approximately 340 grams per liter, which is 10 times more concentrated than the Mediterranean Sea or any other sea. Add to it the high mineral content and you can imagine the high buoyancy of the water. Even if one does not know how to swim, one can float on it effortlessly. You see many people floating on their backs like they’re lying on invisible mattresses. We saw one making a show of it by reading a newspaper as he floated.

Ailments that could be cured

The list of ailments regular bathing in the Dead Sea could cure is long. Among these diseases are all forms of allergies from eczema to bronchial asthma, arthritis of any type, muscle and nerve disorders, various forms of metabolic disorders, psychological and stress-related disturbances including chronic fatigue syndrome and insomnia.

I must admit that when our tour guide eagerly narrated the health benefits of the Dead Sea, I thought it was too good to be true. I was having my bouts of allergic rhinitis at that time, so I thought I made a good case to find out if it was really as good as it was reported to be. Before going to the sea, we joined a group of elderly Europeans in covering most parts of our bodies with mud from a pond by the shore. I felt like we were carabaos waddling in the mud. And as we emerged from the mud pond, we looked like horrible creatures from deep under, walking slowly on the slippery mud to the sea.

Like a giant spa

It was quite an experience. The Dead Sea is like a giant spa. The water is warm and it’s like you’ve mixed a gallon of olive oil in your bath tub. The effortless floating really gives one a feeling of complete relaxation and tranquility. It makes one feel like no cares or worries are too heavy for the water to carry. The oily sensation also gives one a soothing feeling. One’s skin and hair feel soft and frequent bathers say this lasts for several days after.

The only side-effect I could think of in bathing in the Dead Sea is that you can’t swim in it with your eyes open. It really hurts when the water gets into your eyes because of its high salt and mineral content. But even if it does, you just close your eyes for half a minute or so and the hurting sensation disappears.

And how about my allergic rhinitis? It’s too good to be true but it’s quite true. After the Dead Sea bath, and a day after as I write this, I have not soaked a single tissue paper with my runny nose. It only goes to show that despite all the wonders we now benefit from chemically synthesized breakthrough medicines, we should not forget that nature has a huge store of therapies and healing substances which can humble even the best medical specialists in the world.

THERE IS A CENTER OF ENERGY IN ALL of us. This center produces physical sensation.

Here are some questions from readers related to the center of energy.

Q: Please explain why during moments of fear or insecurity I feel something in the “pit of my stomach.”

Your stomach is in the central area of your body. And every organ in this area is affected each time you are unable to fulfill a wish that is very important to you. The mildest form is “butterflies in your stomach.” If the agitation or stress continues, it may lead to ulcer. Stomach acidity happens each time the brain is overloaded with fear, panic, etc. Balance your body chemistry and reduce acid in your stomach by understanding the real cause of your fear. Have faith. Affirm: “I can and I will.” Above all, stop worrying!

Q: Why do I have regular food and sexual cravings?

A craving is a signal that your mind, body or spirit needs to fill. It also may mean, as in food, that you lack a certain mineral/vitamin. Sugar cravings are caused by an unbalanced diet. It could mean that you have a carbohydrate overload or your hormonal balance is upset.
Sexual cravings are symptoms of fear and doubt in one’s self. Sexual interaction may satisfy you temporarily but it also means there will never be any satisfaction you could get from just one person. This is the sad truth unless you deal with your real problem. If you don’t search your psyche well enough to heal your inner hurts, then strangers and strange encounters will continually magnetize you. People and partners will merely be objects to be used and not to be loved.

Q: How can I fight stress?

The word “fight” is already stressful. Let’s use the word “manage.” This is more positive. Here’s a list of things you can do:

Declare 10 minutes of your time everyday as time-out. Simply close your eyes. Inhale softly, quietly.
If you can’t turn off the lights, put on your shades.

Load up on vitamin B complex.

Try aromatherapy by lighting up lemon grass room fragrance sticks.

Spray on your palms and inhale with closed eyes one of the most effective and instant mood lifters in the market today—Bliss, a blend of lavender, mint and eucalyptus. (Nutramedica Inc., 376-4535)

Sip herbal teas like chamomile, lavender, rose. Or try organic ginger tea with native muscovado sugar from the mountains of Nueva Vizcaya, produced by the farmers’ cooperative (092-28689752).

Harness the healing powers of guava and santol through their organic jam and jelly.

Always remember, according to Dr. Gary Zukav in “The Heart of the Soul”—“Each decision is a moment of creativity.”

Love and light!

In his book, “Surviving Cancer: Stories of Hope” to be launched on April 24 at Manila Polo Club, he cites the cases of two Filipino patients, a 38-year-old man with colon cancer and a woman in her 40s with breast cancer. Through sheer determination, discipline, and faith, both have beaten the dreaded disease (For info, call 7471622 or 0922-8649030).

According to Doctor Earl Mindell’s “Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century,” there are powerful anticancer properties in foods such as beta-carotene, quercetin, indoles and isothiocyanatos in cruciferous vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids.

The winning foods are carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cantaloupe, squash, papaya, sweet potatoes, kale, green leafy vegetables, bok choy, radish, celery, spinach, sprouts of all kinds, bean sprouts, alfalfa, radish, wheatgrass, oat bran, wheat bran, rice bran, ginger, horseradish, curcumin from turmeric, capsaicin from red hot chili, powerful mushrooms like reishi, ganoderma, shitake, tuna, mackerel, salmon and sardines.

Stay away from high-risk cancer substances found in alcohol, tobacco, trans fats, processed meats, preservatives, BHA, BHT, food dyes red #3, blue #2, green #3, citrus red #2, sodium nitrite, propyl gallate, coloring and artificial seasoning.

Cleanse vegetables well before eating to flush out all the pesticides. Go organic if you must.

Booster tea

Make it a habit to have a cup of freshly grated ginger in a cup of hot water. Allow to steep for five minutes, strain and sip slowly. Ginger fights stomach acidity and indigestion, speeds up metabolism/fat burning, and has antiviral properties.

Green blood

Blood is what carries the nutrients to the organs of the body. Therefore, the cleaner the blood, the better health you can achieve.

The rage nowadays is wheatgrass, fondly called green blood by health enthusiasts.
Doctor Omar Arabia, resource person of DZMM/ABS-CBN, has a cancer support group and clinic (tel. 4266363) specializing in advanced stage cancer. He always serves his patients a shot of freshly juiced wheatgrass.

This immature sprout, a member of the cereal family like barley, oats, and rye, contains a powerhouse of nutrients. Its beneficial effect is felt within 20 minutes of drinking it. Containing 17 amino acids, 13 vitamins, 10 minerals, fiber and enzymes, wheatgrass is high in iron, magnesium and potassium.

Malaysian company EasyPha-Max grows and harvests wheatgrass (including the roots) through the aero-phonics system, assuring a pollution-free indoor environment for the wheatgrass nursery.

The risk of drinking freshly grown wheatgrass is the problem of molds and bacteria. Drying and powdering wheatgrass and placing them in handy hygienic packets make it all the more practical for the person on the go. Anyone who has high blood, chronic fatigue and allergies will benefit from a daily dose of wheatgrass. Call 8901111 or 0918-9512008.

Stop counting time

The best way to manage stress is to stop counting time. The pressures of work, deadlines, emotional and mental challenges are enough to depress the immune system. Did you know that soothing music can bring down the stress hormone cortisol in the body within minutes of hearing it? So, manage your stress levels by listening to music everyday.

Affirm: “I am feeling better day by day.” Let this line sink in. “Life may be a race to others but to those who don’t run the race and take it slower, the music of their song is never over.”

Love and light!

E-mail the author at coryquirino@hotmail.com.