Vegetable Tempura

Vegetable tempura features an assortment of seasonal vegetables coated in an ultra-light, cold ice-water batter and flash-fried until delicately crisp and nearly translucent. The key is a barely-mixed batter and hot oil, producing a shatteringly light crust that never tastes greasy.

By YumYum Editorial · Japanese

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Total: 35 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 small eggplant, sliced into rounds
• 8 green beans, trimmed
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 4 shiso leaves (optional)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, chilled
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup ice-cold water
• 4 cups neutral oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup dashi stock (for dipping sauce)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (for dipping sauce)
• 2 tbsp mirin (for dipping sauce)
• 2 tbsp grated daikon radish, for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the tentsuyu dipping sauce by warming the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin together briefly, then setting aside to cool.
2. Pat all the vegetables completely dry with paper towels.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pot or wok to 340-350°F (170-175°C).
4. Whisk the egg yolk into the ice water, then add the flour all at once, stirring just 3-4 times with chopsticks — the batter should remain lumpy.
5. Working quickly, dip each vegetable piece into the batter, letting excess drip off.
6. Fry the vegetables in small batches for 1.5-2 minutes per side until pale golden and crisp, without overcrowding the pot.
7. Drain each batch on a wire rack to keep the crust from steaming and going soft.
8. Serve immediately with warm tentsuyu dipping sauce and grated daikon on the side.