Vegetable Tempura Recipe

Prepare sweet potato

Peel (if desired) and slice the sweet potato into 1/8–1/4-inch (3–6 mm) rounds or 3–4 inch long thin sticks. Soak slices in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess starch, then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Prepare zucchini and eggplant

Cut the zucchini into 1/8–1/4-inch diagonal slices or long strips about 3 inches long. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds or lengthwise strips. Lightly salt the eggplant pieces and let sit for 5 minutes if very seedy, then pat dry.

Prepare mushrooms, beans, pepper

Trim shiitake stems (leave caps whole). Trim ends of green beans and pat dry. Core and cut red bell pepper into 1/2-inch wide strips.

Chill equipment

Place a metal or glass mixing bowl in the refrigerator or fill it with ice to chill briefly. Keep sparkling water in the fridge or add ice cubes so it is ice-cold.

Mix batter

In the chilled bowl, lightly beat the egg with the salt. Add the ice-cold sparkling water to the egg. Gently sift or whisk together the all-purpose flour and rice flour. Add the dry mix to the egg/water and stir briefly with chopsticks or a fork — do not overmix. Leave some streaks of flour; a slightly lumpy, thin batter is ideal. Keep the batter over ice or in the fridge until ready to fry to maintain cold temperature.

Heat oil

Pour oil into a deep pot to a depth of about 2–3 inches (enough for shallow-deep frying). Heat oil to 350–375°F (175–190°C). Use a thermometer for accuracy. Maintain this temperature range while frying.

Test batter

Drop a small spoonful of batter into the oil; if it sizzles and rises immediately and turns pale golden in about 30–60 seconds, temperature is correct.

Coat and fry vegetables

Working in small batches (do not overcrowd), lightly dust vegetable pieces with a teaspoon of flour if very moist. Dip each vegetable piece into the batter, allowing excess to drip off briefly, then gently lower into the hot oil. Fry until crisp and pale golden — typically 1–2 minutes for thin vegetables (green beans, bell pepper, shiitake caps) and 2–3 minutes for thicker pieces (sweet potato, eggplant). Turn pieces as needed to brown evenly. Maintain oil temperature between batches.

Drain and season

Use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer tempura to a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towels. Let excess oil drain. While still hot, sprinkle lightly with sea or flaky salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Make the sauce while frying: combine the warm (not boiling) dashi with soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan. Heat gently until warm, then remove from heat. Spoon grated daikon into small serving bowls and pour sauce over or serve sauce on the side for dipping.