Vege Tempura & dipping sauce recipe--my 1st attempt!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Liyana Hanim 2 Comments

The reason why I love eating bento set meals,especially Kodomo Bento at Sushi King,is because of the various type of tempura in the set.I love the vegetables that have a crisp panko crust.Thus,I always bake or cook stuffs that I want to eat so that I don’t have to go the places that sell them all the time.hehe.

I was super excited when I discovered panko breadcrumbs at a bakery supply store on Tuesday.
The key to a great tempura lies in the batter.Cos’ I did try once a long time ago,using a recipe by Jamie Oliver & it wasn’t great at all!I guess the Japanese knows better.

It was the first time I had to buy an ingredient that I’ve never used before,Club Soda water.It taste like water with carbonation.haha.No sugar whatsoever.

The recipe for this light and crisp tempura batter I got on the net and funny thing it was from iVillage Garden Web forum.The tempura dipping sauce recipe was awesome too!Try both of the recipes and you won’t be sorry.

Oh,btw,the vege that I used was Bombay onions(the huge yellow one),Japanese eggplant, & an assortment of sweet potatoes(purple,orange & yellow).You can also try long b

eans,oyster mushroom,fish,prawns,zucchini,and asparagus.

Below are a few pics of me trying both recipes and the recipe for the batter & dipping sauce.

TEMPURA BATTER

1 cup flour
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup Soda water (Club soda; as cold as possible) -- more as needed
Panko breadcrumbs
Oil for deep-frying

Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and baking powder.
Add soda water gradually, stirring with a fork, first to create a paste and then until mixture is like a thick pancake batter.
Heat oil for frying to 375° F - 400° F.
Dip prepared veggies and meats in batter, coating completely. Shake off excess.
Roll around in panko breadcrumbs.
Fry vegetables and meats, a few pieces at a time, until light brown and crispy.
Do not crowd pan, or oil temperature will drop. No more than will cover ¾ of the surface of the oil.
Drain on paper towels.

* NOTE: I like 2 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part rice flour.

*TIPS!!!*

Test for correct oil temperature (if you don't have a cooking thermometer):
Drop in 1/4 tsp of batter.If it sinks to the bottom, oil is not hot enough.
If it rises to the surface quickly and turns golden brown in about a minute, oil is just right.
If it burns immediately, oil is too hot.This test can also be done with a cube of bread.

DIPPING SAUCE

1 tbs soy sauce(I use Kikkoman!)
1 tbs vinegar
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs water

Whisk them all together and serve!

Hope you enjoy the recipes..:))

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, seems like Japanese cuisine, what a dish! Bleh X klau aku menawarkan diri jd food tester ko? I promise akan berikan komen sejujur hati. Sbb smua masakan ko nampak sedap.
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Not a silent reader anymore (OK Nancy Drew please make a guess: Do U think I'm a guy/gurl?)

September 30, 2010 at 9:57 AM