Tempura Vegetables

Name: Tempura Vegetables
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: Peanut or cold-pressed sunflower or safflower oil; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup cornstarch; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 1/2 to 2 cups ice water; 1 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced; 1 small japanese eggplant, thinly sliced; 1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced; 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced; 1/2 head of broccoli, stemmed and broken into florets; Coarse salt; Tempura dipping sauce (recipe below)

January 26, 2012

When prepared properly, Japanese-style deep-fried vegetables are light and crisp and not at all greasy. Baking powder in the batter helps it to puff up in the hot oil, while cornstarch keeps it from being too dense (as it can be when made with all flour). Ice-cold batter is the secret to successful tempura, so be sure to use ice water (drained of ice). You can use any type of vegetable in this recipe, as long as you slice the vegetables thinly and uniformly so they cook evenly. Root vegetables should be sliced a bit thinner since they take longer to cook.

Recipe notes

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