Vegetable Tempura is something that we all love in this family. We upped the crunch factor in our recipe to make these even better! Forget takeout; you will want to make these time and again.
Want more Japanese food? Then try our Toro Green Onion Japanese Hand Sushi Rolls or Easy Ramen Stir Fry.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you.
7-inch Extra Large Spider Strainer – Stainless Steel Fryer Scoop & 4 in Skimmer Spoon, Set of 2
What is Vegetable Tempura Made of?
Our recipe may not be traditional, but I am telling you, it is delicious, and for me, I was after the crunch, nothing worse than soggy, limp fried vegetables.
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
Dashi – This is a Japanese soup stock; I speak about it more in the pro tips section and what is a good substitute if you can’t find it.
Low-sodium soy sauce – I prefer low-sodium soy sauce always, but you can use regular if you like.
Mirin – This is a Japanese cooking wine that is used in other Asian cuisines too! It is an item that we almost always have on hand.
Sugar – Regular granulated sugar can be used for this sauce.
Vegetables
Sweet potato – This is a great vegetable for tempera as it cooks fairly quickly and can be cut into long strips like fries or in small slices.
Kabocha squash – If you haven’t tried this squash, you must, as it has a sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash, and tastes similar to a pumpkin. The skin is tender, too, so you eat it all.
Button mushrooms – Try to find nice small mushrooms so they are the perfect popable size!
Asparagus spears – This is another wonderful vegetable to add to the plate as it adds some green freshness.
Other vegetables to try – Like peppers, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, and eggplant, to name a few.
For the Batter
AP flour – If you want the tempura gluten-free, you can try rice flour, cornstarch, and club soda, but this will give you a very light batter.
Ice water – Using very cold water stops the oil from absorbing and gives you lovely fried food that isn’t greasy.
Large egg – This is the standard egg size I always use.
Panko crumbs – These panko crumbs make the tempura irresistibly crunchy.
For Deep Frying
Canola oil – This is my standard oil for frying, but you can also use vegetable oil.
Fine salt for seasoning after frying – I find that you always need to season once the food is removed from deep-frying.
How to Make Vegetable Tempura
Dipping Sauce (Tentsuyu)
To make the dipping sauce, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Preparing the Vegetables
Thoroughly wash all the vegetables. Dry the mushrooms and the asparagus by dabbing them with a paper towel. Set aside. (you can leave the mushrooms whole if they are small; if they are larger, you should slice them in half)
Next, carefully slice the sweet potato and kabocha squash into ¼-inch thick pieces. Place the slices between a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, and set aside.
It is important to make sure that all your vegetables are dry. Any excess moisture will result in a soggy tempura.
Prepare the oil by adding it to your pot or wok to a depth of about 1 ½ inches. Heat the oil to 320 degrees F. For best results, use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.
Making the Batter
While the oil is heating, prepare the batter. Add the flour to a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, combine the ice water and the egg. Whisk the water egg mixture until it is frothy.
Using a large spoon or ladle, carefully remove the foam from the top of the water egg mixture and discard. Then, slowly pour the water egg mixture into the flour while mixing with a spoon or chopsticks in a figure 8 pattern.
Be careful not to overmix the batter; it’s ok if you have a few small lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold by adding 1-2 ice cubes.
Place about ½ the panko crumbs in a flat bottom dish beside the bowl of batter.
Deep-Frying
Once the oil is heated, working in batches, dip the vegetables into the batter, then place them into the panko crumbs. Use the reserved panko crumbs to sprinkle on the top and press the panko crumbs onto the battered vegetables, thereby ensuring the vegetables are nicely coated.
Place 3- 4 pieces of the battered vegetables into the oil and cook until golden brown, turning the vegetables with a slotted spoon so they cook evenly. Do not over-crowd the oil with too many pieces, as it will cool the oil too quickly.
Once cooked to a golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a wire rack or paper towel-lined tray to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of fine salt while they are still hot.
Continue frying the vegetables until you are done. You can hold the cooked vegetables in a warming draw or a warm oven until you are finished cooking them all.
Serve the tempura immediately with the dipping sauce.
Enjoy!
Recipe Pro Tips!
What is Dashi and What Can I Substitute it With?
Dashi is a Japanese soup stock made of kelp and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). It takes a very short time to make but only includes these two ingredients (at times, more can be added). Most people would be amazed at the depth of umami flavor this ingredient brings to a dish.
A good substitute would be chicken stock, possibly enhanced with soy sauce, but give dashi a try, as it will give your sauce a traditional flavor.
Dashi comes in both powdered and liquid form, the liquid being superior.
What is Mirin and What can I use to Substitute?
Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine. It is made from mochi rice and koji (fermented rice) along with sweet potato alcohol for a period of 40-60 days.
Some substitutes for Mirin are sherry and adding a small amount of sugar to white or red wine vinegar, white wine, or sake.
DO YOU WANT MORE ASIAN DISHES?
We love so many Asian meals, and here are some of our favorites.
Vegetable Tempura
Video
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce:
- ¾ cup dashi Japanese soup stock
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp sugar
Vegetables:
- 1 sweet potato sliced into ¼ inch rounds
- ¼ kabocha squash sliced ¼ inch thick
- 8 oz small button mushrooms
- 12 asparagus spears
For the Batter:
- 1 cup AP flour
- ¾ cup plus 4 tsp ice water
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups panko crumbs
For Deep Frying:
- 2-3 cups Canola oil enough for 1 1/2 inches of oil in the pot or wok
- Fine salt for seasoning after frying
Instructions
- To make the dipping sauce, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Thoroughly wash all the vegetables. Dry the mushrooms and the asparagus by dabbing them with paper towel. Set aside. (you can leave the mushrooms whole if they are small; if they are larger, you should slice them in half)
- Next, carefully slice the sweet potato and kabocha squash into ¼-inch thick pieces. Place the slices between a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, set aside.
- It is important to make sure that all your vegetables are dry. Any excess moisture will result in soggy tempura.
- Prepare the oil by adding it to your pot or wok to a depth of about 1 ½ inches. Heat the oil to 320 degrees F. For best results, use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.
- While the oil is heating, prepare the batter. Add the flour to a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, combine the ice water and the egg. Whisk the water egg mixture until it is frothy.
- Using a large spoon or ladle, carefully remove the foam from the top of the water egg mixture and discard. Then, slowly pour the water egg mixture into the flour while mixing with a spoon or chopsticks in a figure 8 pattern.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter; it’s ok if you have a few small lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold by adding 1-2 ice cubes.
- Place about ½ the panko crumbs in a flat bottom dish beside the bowl of batter.
- Once the oil is heated, working in batches, dip the vegetables into the batter, then place them into the panko crumbs. Use the reserved panko crumbs to sprinkle on the top and press the panko crumbs onto the battered vegetables, thereby ensuring the vegetables are nicely coated.
- Place 3-4 pieces of the battered vegetables into the oil and cook until golden brown, turning the vegetables with a slotted spoon so they cook evenly. Do not over-crowd the oil with too many pieces, as it will cool the oil too quickly.
- Once cooked to a golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a wire rack or paper towel-lined tray to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of fine salt while they are still hot.
- Continue frying the vegetables until you are done. You can hold the cooked vegetables in a warming draw or a warm oven until you are finished cooking them all.
- Serve the tempura immediately with the dipping sauce.
- Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
google baseball says
I love this recipe!
Tara Noland says
Thank you!
Peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
Hope you are having fun on your trip. I really like this preparation as a change up. Gave some G+ love too.
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks so much for coming over Peter, so lovely to see you here again!!