Vegetable Tempura
2 tablespoons egg substitute (I use Ener-G brand)
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup cold water
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
vegetables of your choice, sliced
(carrots, snow peas, green beans, daikon, cabbage, bamboo shoots, lotus root, onions, sweet potatoes work well)
peanut oil, for frying
1. Mix the egg replacer and salt into the cold water. It is important to have to water cold because the batter won't absorb as much oil and won't be gooey.
2. Mix the flour into the water and egg replacer until it is smooth and there are no lumps. Place the batter in the freezer to keep it cold. Pour about 1" peanut oil on the bottom of a frying pan or wok and put it on medium heat.
3. When oil is hot, dip the vegetables in the batter, then fry them in the oil until they are lightly brown. Fry only a few at a time; this may take a while but it will be easier this way.
4. Serve on a platter with soy sauce for dipping or over a bowl of rice.
Itadakimasu! (Bon Appetit!)
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I always considered rice flour and cornstarch or arrowroot a must for crispy, light tempura--no worries about gluten to make it tough. This may be my favorite way of eating sweet potatoes, and you can also make hushpuppy-type balls full of smaller veg like edamame (best kept no bigger than about an inch across). :)
I just made this tonight with eggplant, summer squash, onion, and tofu and it was PERFECT! This will be my tempura recipe forever- thank you! ;)b
Can this be done by baking instead of frying????
I only used one TEAspoon of salt rather than a tablespoon and it turned out wonderfully. I actually liked it better than the mix we had from the store before. ;)b
I'd use significantly less salt, maybe a teaspon.
I just made this and it was waaay too salty. I mean, it was inedible and I think I'm going to have to throw it all out. I would make this again without salt or just a pinch maybe.
heed the words of the wise...
good recipe with the exception of the salt amount... maybe the author meant 1 teaspoon; it seems likely.
I just made this and it was waaay too salty. I mean, it was inedible and I think I'm going to have to throw it all out. I would make this again without salt or just a pinch maybe.
Third time I've tried this, and it finally turned out right. I had to add two full cups of water for the batter to be the right constancy, otherwise it's VERY thick and turns into a giant, mushy puff ball of dough when fried. 1tbsp of salt is too much for me, we had to use 1/2. I made it with seitan, cauliflower, green beans and onions. The seitan may have worked better if it had been marinated or something(it was flavored, but a bit bland) The green beans didn't hold onto the batter well and so it all spread out when you put them in and they weren't really very tasty anyway. The cauliflower and onions were VERY good though.
I did this last night with rice flour and it was soooo freakin' good :)>>>
Broccoli was best, followed by sweet potato then bok choy, then green beans. The sweet peppers didn't work so well, and the zuke and squash just got mushy :(
Definitely keep the batter cold, and put the veggies in one at a time, not in a bunch oryou end up with a fried veggie casserole in a lump!
Two questions: everything kept sticking to the "basket" we were setting them in 'cause the batter would cook between the mesh - any suggestions for avoiding that? Also, what to serve with this to make it a full meal? We (six people) just had salad and cupcakes and it was kind of lame as a full meal (but very tasty!)
I can't believe I never found this recipe before!
I've been wanting good veg tempura forever and ever. I never even thought of making it myself, and it's so easy and yumm! thank you!
someone mentions sushi in the reviews. one of my favorite rolls to make is a tempura asparagus w/ mango roll!
try it and fall in love
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