Tempura Vegetables

If it comes down to a choice of French fries or tempura battered veggies, all I can say is, “Move over fries!” Tempura is a Japanese term for lightly battered fried food. The batter is a delicate covering; crispy, light and not all greasy. A good tempura, however, is not as easy to pull off as one may think. I’ve had numerous failed attempts before finally achieving a perfect balance of taste and texture. I started off with bagged mixes from the grocery store (totally disgusting); then beer batters (too heavy); I even tried specialized flours, such as rice flour (which lacked in flavor). When you look at the recipe, you’re going to say, “What’s so hard about that?” And, you’d be right in saying so. Not many ingredients and nothing “exotic” included. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the “technique” that makes it work, which I will explain in more detail below. Of course, my veggie of choice is “always” mushrooms, but just about any vegetable (or seafood) can be substituted: eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes, onions, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, basically anything you can get batter to stick to. Even your picky little eaters will scoff down more veggies when prepared this way, especially when served with a fun dipping sauce. Although not the healthiest way to get more vegetables in your diet, it sure is the tastiest way. Let’s just call it a “forgiving sin.” 

 

In deep fryer, wok, or large pot, preheat oil to 375° F.

Wash and slice vegetables. Pat dry with paper towels. Tip #1: Dry veggies are a must.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, cayenne pepper and white pepper.  Tip #2: Sifting yields a “lighter” batter texture.  

Add egg and seltzer water. Whisk to make a smooth batter. 

Fill a larger bowl with ice. Place bowl with batter on top of the bowl with ice (to keep batter cold while frying veggies). Tip #3: Hot oil and cold batter produces the crispiest texture.
 

Put extra cornstarch in a resealable plastic bag. Shake veggie slices in cornstarch, then dip in batter, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the battered veggies to the oil and fry until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Tip #4:  If batter gets too cold, remove bowl from ice for a few minutes. You can tell if batter gets too cold because the batter will slide off the veggies and not stick to them. Once batter has warmed up a little (enough so that the batter sticks again), return bowl atop ice.

When veggies are crispy, remove from oil and drain on paper-towel lined plate (or bowl). Season with salt.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I prefer a basic Ranch dip, but I’ve included a suggested soy sauce dip below. (Note: I haven't tried this dip, so I can't vouch for it; but it seems like it would be a flavorful dipping sauce.)

TEMPURA VEGETABLES
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, sifted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup cold seltzer water
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper            
• Coarse salt, to taste
• Button mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes (or other veggies of your choice)
• Extra cornstarch (about 1/2 to 2/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oil to 375° F. (Deep fryer, wok or large pot will do.)
2. Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, cayenne pepper and white pepper. Add egg and seltzer water.
    Whisk to make a smooth batter
3. Fill larger bowl with ice.  Place bowl with batter on top of bowl of ice to keep batter cold while frying
    veggies.
4. Put extra cornstarch in resealable plastic bag. Shake veggie slices in cornstarch (a few at a time), then
    dip into batter, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the battered veggies to the oil and fry until crispy,
    about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
5. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.


TIPS:
 
1. Dry veggies are a must.
2. Sifting yields a “lighter” batter texture.
3. Hot oil and cold batter produces the crispiest texture.
4. If batter gets too cold, remove bowl from ice for a few minutes. You can tell if batter gets too cold,
    because the batter will slide off the veggies and not stick to them. Once batter has warmed up a little
    (just enough so that the batter sticks again), return bowl atop ice.



SOY DIPPING SAUCE
Source: Michael Symon
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Scallions (thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger (grated)
• 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• Lemon Juice (to taste)
• Sambal Oelek chili sauce (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together all ingredients, and adjust to taste with lemon and chili sauce.