Vegetable Tempura
Ingredients
Tempura:
- 1 cup flour (120 g)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup sparkling water(250 ml)
- 2 cups oil (500 ml)
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- ½ large red bell pepper, julienned
- ½ large head of broccoli, chopped, discard the stem
- ½ large zucchini, julienned
Sauce:
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water(250 ml)
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari(65 ml or 4 Tbsp)
- ¼ cup mirin (65 ml or 4 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and stir until well combined.
- Add the sparkling water gently, while you’re whisking until well combined, but don’t over-mix. You can use a whisk, a fork or your chopsticks. Set aside.
- Dip veggies into the batter, one at a time, to lightly coat, shaking off any excess batter.
- Pour the oil into a saucepan, wok, pot or a deep skillet and when it’s hot, add the veggies. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes on opposite sides. You could also use a fryer, but I prefer this method.
- To make your tempura extra crispy and extra beautiful, dip your chopsticks into the batter and just pat on the veggies. Repeat a few times on each piece of tempura. This step is optional.
- Don’t add too many veggies at the same time or the temperature of the oil will drop and your tempura will go soggy. I usually add 4, but the number may vary depending on the size of your veggies. If you want to save time and you don’t mind getting a better result, just add as many veggies as you want.
- Transfer the veggies to a cooling rack, that way they won’t go soggy, and also they will be less greasy. You can also use a paper towel, but the rack works amazing and is also zero waste.
- To make the sauce, just mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve the vegetable tempura and the sauce immediately with any kind of Japanese-style dishes, such as vegan yakisoba or vegan ramen.
- You can keep the sauce in an airtight container or a jar in the fridge for at least 1 week. The tempura is best when fresh, but you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The sauce is optional, but your tempura pieces will taste much better if you dip them into the sauce.