Recipe for Spring & Summer Vegetable Tempura
This simple tempura recipe makes the most of spring and summer produce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb vegetables and blossoms (such as snap peas and pea leaves, squash blossoms, carrots, heirloom tomatoes, fava beans, string beans, bell peppers, summer squash)
- 3 cups rice oil or canola oil
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1/2 cup ice cold Japanese lager
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp Shichimi Togarashi
Instructions
- Wash and dry vegetables and blossoms. Reserve on paper towels.
- In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat the oil to 350º.
- To prepare the tempura batter, combine the ice water and beer in a bowl, then whisk in the egg. Using chopsticks, gently incorporate the flours, salt and Schichimi Togarashi. Do not overmix – small lumps are a good thing. Use batter as soon as possible.
- Dip the vegetables and blossoms into the batter, shaking off excess. Fry tempura until just golden brown.
- Tempura may be held in a 200º oven for no more than ten minutes before serving.