Tempura is a classic fried Japanese dish, with a flaky, lacy, crispy batter. The key to perfectly fried tempura is in the assembly of the batter and the heat of the oil. When done right, the results won’t disappoint!
Vegetable Tempura
Servings
3
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
30
minutesTotal time
45
minutesTempura is a classic fried Japanese dish, with a flaky, lacy, crispy batter. The key to perfectly fried tempura is in the assembly of the batter and the heat of the oil. When done right, the results won’t disappoint!
Ingredients
- Tempura Batter Ingredients
2 egg yolks
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup ice
2 flour
- Vegetables Tempura
1 lb of vegetables (sliced at a diagonal into bite-sized pieces)
1 cup flour
2 quarts of vegetable oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
Directions
- Select and prepare your vegetables. We used asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.
- Heat your oil in a fryer or a large pot with a flat bottom, such as a deep skillet or dutch oven. Evenly heated oil that is the right temperature is essential for getting the classic, light, lacy tempura. Heat the oil to 360° F.
- The trick to good tempura is cold water and not over-stirring it. In fact, you don’t want it thoroughly mixed. Use two bowls, one with the flour and the other with a mix of the cold water, ice, and egg yolks. Combine them only when your oil is up to temperature, and you are ready to go.
- Put the flour into the wet mixture and use four chopsticks held together in your hand to combine, making a stabbing motion into the batter. This is a very inefficient way to mix, which is the point. When the batter is the consistency of cream, with some clumps of flour still present, stop mixing.
- Lightly dredge a piece of vegetable in the flour, then dip into the batter. Immediately place in the hot oil. Repeat, working in small batches, so you don’t overload the oil and cool it down.
- For harder vegetables like sweet potatoes or carrots, fry for 3 minutes. For softer vegetables, like asparagus, broccoli, and pumpkin, fry for 2 minutes.
- Drain the excess oil on a tray lined with a paper towel. Serve hot.
