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Vegetable Tempura

17/11/2023

Vegetable tempura is a crispy and light Japanese dish, here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients for Tempura:

  • Various vegetables of choice (zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, squash blossoms, eggplants, etc.), cut into sticks or slices
  • Seed oil for frying (traditionally rice oil or sesame oil)

Ingredients for the Batter:

  • 100 g of wheat flour
  • 40 g of cornstarch
  • 200 ml of ice-cold water
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder (optional)

Preparation

  1. Cut the vegetables into the desired shape and set them aside.

  2. Heat the seed oil in a fryer or deep pot to 180 °C.

  3. Prepare the batter just before dipping the vegetables. In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.

  4. Add the ice-cold water to the flour mixture and mix briefly with chopsticks or a fork. The batter should remain slightly lumpy for perfect tempura.

  5. Dunk the vegetables in the batter, ensuring they are completely coated but shaking off the excess.

  6. Fry the vegetables in small batches to avoid cooling the oil. Quick cooking - about 2-3 minutes for each batch, or until lightly golden.

  7. Remove the fried vegetables and let them drain on paper towels.

Serve hot accompanied by soy sauce or a tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu), made from dashi, mirin, and soy sauce. The freshness of the ingredients and the lightness of the batter make this dish a unique culinary experience.

Vegetable Tempura