Vegetable Tempura

5 from 1 vote

This Vegetable Tempura is all about the crunch with a gorgeous dipping sauce called tentsuyu. It will be a recipe that you will want to share with family and friends.

Prep Time25

Cook Time45

Total Time1 10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: cheese dipping sauce, tempura, tentsuyu, vegetable tempura

Servings: servings

Calories: 678kcal

Author: Tara Noland

Equipment

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!

Video

Notes

Please see the post for additional information and tips.

Nutrition