Let me be the first and possibly the only one to wish you a happy and jubilant Tempura Day. Yes, that is today, January 7.

Specialty food days are plentiful. Some are best given the hand, like Bicarbonate of Soda Day on Dec 30, Indian Pudding Day on Nov 13 and Welsh Rarebit Day on Sep 3. I do however observe Peanut Butter Cookie Day, Peach Cobbler Day and Chocolate Eclair Day with pious-like religiosity, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily. These dates have been permanently cyber-etched on my iCal although I truly do not need to be reminded to consume my fair share.

No one really knows the origins of most of these holiday, but I can get on board any excuse to delight in fried foods. While I don’t make this practice a common occurrence, anything less of pseudo-religious observance of Tempura Day is said to bring seven years of bad luck from the foodie gods.

Who wants that?

Tempura is thought of as a staple in Japanese cuisine although the origins are attributed to Portuguese missionaries of the 16th century. The technique was refined, later becoming a common fast food sold by street vendors from portable carts throughout Tokyo.

Most tend to think of any fried food as heavy. In the hands of a master, tempura is light and airy, with a perfect balance of crunchy goodness and a soft finish that seems to dissolve and disappear in your mouth. Not unlike cotton candy, without the sugar rush and headaches afterwards.

Am I making you hungry?

My celebrations began with a trip to RA Sushi on Westheimer at Highland Village. Repeated attempts to replicate the technique at home were met with catastrophic disappointment so I was in need of cooking therapy from a master.

Meet RA Sushi’s head chef Jimmy Kieu.

“The secret to perfect tempura is using really cold, I mean ice-cold water in the batter,” Kieu explains.

Getting taken back to a busy kitchen, I am surprised to learn that tempura batter consists of only two ingredients: Equal parts of special tempura flour and water.

“Not even salt?” I asked inquisitively.

There is no need for salt. The tempura flour itself is a combination of ingredients including wheat flour, cornstarch and baking soda.

Jimmy got his start in the restaurant industry by accident. Seven years ago, while applying for a job as a server position, the chef hired him on the spot in the kitchen.

“He told me he needed someone in the kitchen,” Kieu recalls. “So I gave it a shot and haven’t looked back. Now I am stuck cooking for family for most holidays."

While any vegetable (or fruit for that matter) can adapt itself to the tempura technique, those that take a little longer to cook are best blanched, meaning boiled quickly in water, like a sweet potato.

Jimmy cooks swiftly, coating the vegetables first in a little traditional wheat flour, followed by the fresh tempura batter and placing them carefully in the hot oil.

“It’s important to use a flavor-neutral oil like soybean,” Jimmy says. “You want to taste the vegetable while the batter provides an added texture. The best temperature is also 350 degrees, being careful not to overcrowd the fryer.”

The tempura should swim freely while allowing the oil the stay at its optimum temperature. Anything less and you end up with an oily mess.

After a couple of minutes, we have a picture perfect plate of tempura Japanese eggplant, sweet potato and asparagus. Although my inclination is to dive right in, Kieu has better plans for them: An inside out vegetable tempura roll with spinach and beet tempura crisps served alongside a generous helping of Asian pesto sauce.

Now we are celebrating Tempura Day in style, although my accompanying Diet Coke may not have been the best sidekick for the experience.

And with that, I cheered and celebrated.

Other recent trends at RA Sushi?

Sauce is king.

While we think of traditional dipping sauce for rolls and similar items as soy sauce with a tolerable of amount of wasabi, RA Sushi is playing around with accompaniment possibilities such as Asian pesto, mango chutney and creamy ginger teriyaki sauce.

“Our clientele seems to like more of a modernized version of Japanese cuisine,” Bill Roegelein, regional manager, says.

“There is an emphasis on fresh flavors, traditionally those found in the Pacific Rim. We are combining the vibrant colors and flavors of mango, spinach, beets with beautiful architectural elements brought by colored tempura flakes and lotus chips.”

It’s part of the new menu, which also includes RA Tapas, small dishes to share.

Anything for vegans?

Kieu again proves that simplicity trumps complexity with two delicious additions to the menu including the garlic sugar snap peas and the shishito peppers, both sautéed in light Asian seasoning, which includes togarashi pepper flakes.

Both ingredients were new to me.

The shishito is a small sweet and spicy glossy green pepper indigenous to Japan, rich in vitamin A and C. During cooking, it loses some of its spice, making it a great candidate for a quick pan-fry with simple seasonings.

Togarashi pepper is almost like a curry powder, a mixture of different spices blending red pepper flakes with complementing spices like black pepper, sesame seeds, dried mandarin orange peel, green nori seaweed flakes, prickly ash pods, hemp seeds and poppy seeds. Every blend and brand is different.

Both dishes were exquisite and great companions to the tempura roll.

I question whether I should be experimenting more with shishitos, if anything, I should talk about them more, since saying shishito is quite fun, especially if you adopt an accent.