Vegetable Tempura (appetizer) Recipe

Name: Sakeba Asian Pub & Grills Vegetable Tempura (Appetizer) Recipe
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cups ice cold water; 1 cups all-purpose flour; 0.25 cups cornstarch; 0.5 tsp baking powder; 1 unit egg (large), beaten; 0.25 cups cold club soda or sparkling water (optional, in place of part of water); 0.25 cups soy sauce (for dipping sauce); 1 tbs mirin (for dipping sauce); 1 tsp rice vinegar (for dipping sauce); 0.25 cups dashi or low-sodium stock (for dipping sauce, optional); 0.5 tsp granulated sugar (for dipping sauce); 0.5 tsp finely grated ginger (optional, for dipping sauce); 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices; 1 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved if large; 1 cup zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch planks; 1 cup broccoli florets (small); 0.5 cup red bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced into strips; 0.5 cup green beans, trimmed; 0.5 cup eggplant (Asian or small), sliced into 1/8-inch rounds; 4 cups neutral oil with high smoke point (vegetable, canola, or peanut); 0.25 cups all-purpose flour (for dusting); 1 tsp fine sea salt or kosher salt; 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional, garnish); 2 unit lemon wedges (optional, to serve)

Inspired by Sakeba Asian Pub & Grill

Time40m

Serves4

Crispy battered assorted vegetable

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Ingredients

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Tempura Batter & Dipping Sauce

1 cups ice cold water

1 cups 00 bread flour

1/4 cups Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 unit egg (large), beaten

1/4 cups cold club soda or sparkling water (optional, in place of part of water)

1/4 cups soy sauce (for dipping sauce)

1 tbs mirin (for dipping sauce)

1 tsp rice vinegar (for dipping sauce)

1/4 cups dashi or low-sodium stock (for dipping sauce, optional)

1/2 tsp granulated sugar (for dipping sauce)

1/2 tsp finely grated ginger (optional, for dipping sauce)

Vegetables

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices

1 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved if large

1 cup zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch planks

1 cup broccoli florets (small)

1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced into strips

1/2 cup green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup eggplant (Asian or small), sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Frying & Finishing

4 cups neutral oil with high smoke point (vegetable, canola, or peanut)

1/4 cups all-purpose flour (for dusting)

1 tsp fine sea salt or kosher salt

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional, garnish)

2 unit lemon wedges (optional, to serve)

Method

Tempura Batter & Dipping Sauce

Prepare the dipping sauce

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, dashi (if using), sugar, and grated ginger. Stir until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust: add a little more mirin for sweetness or a splash of water if too salty. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the cold batter

Place a medium mixing bowl and the measuring cup of ice cold water in the refrigerator (or briefly over ice) so everything stays cold. Whisk the beaten egg into the ice cold water. In a separate bowl sift together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Just before frying, pour the egg-water mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently with chopsticks or a fork until just combined; small lumps are okay. If you want an extra-light batter, replace 1/4 cup of the water with cold club soda. Do not overmix — keeping the batter cold and slightly lumpy yields crisper tempura.

Vegetables

Prepare vegetables so they cook evenly: peel and slice the sweet potato into very thin (about 1/8-inch) rounds; slice zucchini lengthwise into thin planks; trim green beans; cut broccoli into small florets; remove mushroom stems and halve large caps; slice eggplant into thin rounds and cut red bell pepper into long strips. Pat all vegetables dry with paper towels — excess moisture will cause oil to splatter and batter to slide off. If some pieces are thicker (sweet potato, broccoli stems), blanch briefly (30–45 seconds) in boiling water then plunge into ice water to slightly soften; drain and dry completely before battering.

Frying & Finishing

Heat oil: Pour about 3–4 cups neutral oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer. Heat oil to 350–370°F (175–190°C). If you don't have a thermometer, test by dropping a small pinch of batter — it should sizzle and float immediately without browning too quickly.

Dust and batter vegetables: Lightly dust each vegetable piece with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (this helps batter adhere). Working in small batches (4–6 pieces at a time, depending on pot size), dip each piece into the batter to coat lightly; shake off excess batter — a thin, even coating produces the best tempura texture.

Fry the vegetables: Carefully lower battered pieces into the hot oil, spacing so pieces don't touch. Fry until the batter is pale golden and crisp: delicate items like zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms and green beans will take about 1.5–2.5 minutes; denser items like sweet potato and eggplant may take 2.5–4 minutes. Turn pieces once if needed for even color. Maintain oil temperature between 330–365°F (165–185°C) — if it drops, batter will absorb oil and become greasy.

Drain and season: Using a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, transfer fried vegetables to a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towels to drain. Immediately sprinkle lightly with fine sea salt. Repeat with remaining vegetables and batter, allowing oil to return to temperature between batches.

Serve: Arrange tempura on a platter with lemon wedges and toasted sesame seeds sprinkled over (optional). Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side. For best texture, consume within 15 minutes of frying; if holding briefly, keep in a single layer on a warm (200°F/95°C) oven to stay crisp.