Vegetable Tempura Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is vegetable tempura batter made of? ›

The Crispiest Vegetable Tempura

Right before frying, in a medium bowl, whisk to combine ice water and egg yolks. Add flour and cornstarch and lightly mix until just a few lumps remain. Working in batches, dip the vegetables in the batter, shaking off any excess and carefully lower into the hot oil.

You would enjoy them piping hot with a delicate dipping sauce with grated daikon. Some of the common vegetables used for Tempura include Japanese sweet potatoes, mushrooms (shiitake or king oysters are delicious), Kabocha squash, bell peppers, lotus roots, and eggplant.

There's a science to it. Because water boils at 100°C, heating the oil to 160°C+ will produce steam bubbles around the batter-coated ingredients. These bubbles keep the oil from penetrating the inside of the tempura and causing it to be too oily. Hence, the hot oil keeps the food crispy!

For harder vegetables like squash or sweet potatoes, you may want to briefly blanch them to get them going before frying. But broccoli, mushrooms, and green beans or snap peas don't require any pre-cooking at all. I recommend a traditional tentsuyu dipping sauce for these.

Cooks use ice water over room temperature because the ice slows the formation of gluten during the cooking process. This allows for a crispier cook while not allowing the batter to absorb the oils in the frying pan during the cooking process.

In a small bowl, sift 1 cup all-purpose flour once or twice to remove any clumps and to make it light and soft. Set aside. In a medium bowl, gently beat 1 large egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely incorporated. Combine 1 cup water and ice cubes in a cup.

Within the category of wheat flour, the first rule of thumb when trying to choose flour for high quality tempura is to only use white flour. Whole-wheat or wholemeal flour, which uses every part of the wheat berry including the germ and bran, makes a tempura batter that has a rough and mealy mouthfeel.

While vegetable tempura may seem like a relatively healthy choice, the American Heart Association advises that it's best to avoid fried foods because they are higher in calories and fat than vegetables that are roasted, broiled or stir-fried.

Regardless of whether you decide to use a flour mix or to create your own batter, the key to nailing the perfect tempura batter is to use icy cold water. This slows down the formation of gluten to prevent the crust from absorbing too much oil and turning your tempura into heavy, fried food.

If the vegetables are not properly blanched, the enzymes will continue their activity even after cooling. This can lead to off taste and texture of the vegetables.

Which vegetable is not blanched before drying? ›

Vegetables that do not require blanching before drying are onions, green peppers, and mushrooms.

Tempura is a specific method of deep-frying, where the food is dipped in a batter made of water, egg, and a lower-gluten starch like cake flour or rice flour. It produces a lighter, crisper shell than beer-batter, cornbread batter, or panko breading.

Is tempura batter vegan? Traditionally, no tempura batter isn't suitable for vegans as the batter usually contains eggs. However, plant-based batters are easy to make at home and many restaurants do offer vegan options.

Kakiage is a type of tempura patty made out of a variety of julienned vegetables and seafood mixed together in tempura batter and deep fried. Kakiage may be served as an appetizer or side dish, or as a topping over rice or noodles.

Yutaka Tempura Batter Mix 1kg Pack of 2 - Crispy, Light & Fluffy Batter - Perfect for Japanese Tempura Dishes.