Tempura vegetables

What you're after in a tempura recipe is a batter that cooks up to be light, crisp and golden. This recipe does exactly that.

Tempura vegetables Credit: Desiree Nielsen

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1½ cups soda water, chilled
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 cups rice flour
• sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced, and parboiled to soften
• small carrots, end and green top trimmed
• purple potatoes
• asparagus spears
• snap peas, trimmed
• canola or peanut oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Add a few inches of oil to a deep pot and heat to 180ºC (350ºF). Check heat with a kitchen thermometer.

2. As you wait for the oil to heat, pour soda water into a mixing bowl.

3. Add egg whites and whisk until frothy.

4. Add baking soda and rice flour, and whisk until just combined.

5. Using chopsticks, dip each veggie in the batter, and then carefully place into the hot oil.

6. Remove after four or five minutes, or when golden. Leave carrots and potatoes in oil a minute longer, to soften.

7. Serve with wasabi mayo sauce and wasabi-cranberry sauce.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.