15-Minute Tempura Vegetables With Chili Dipping Sauce

People often consider tempura a difficult dish to create, however, it is in fact incredibly easy, with just a few simple ingredients required. The trick to creating the perfect light yet crispy batter is using sparkling, carbonated water that is ice cold. Use vegetables that need minimal preparation, such as button mushrooms and broccoli, to save time.

15-Minute Tempura Vegetables With Chili Dipping Sauce [Vegan]

Ingredients

For Frying:

• Scant 1 cup sunflower oil

For the Vegetables:

• 8 spears of broccoli
• 8 baby carrots
• 8 radishes
• 12 Button mushrooms

For the Batter:

• Generous cup plain all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Scant 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water

For the Chili Dipping Sauce:

• 3/4 cup tomato purée
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• Handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 lime

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan over a high heat while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Trim the end of the broccoli and slice away the top end of the baby carrots. Remove the very top and bottom of the radishes. Brush the mushrooms to ensure they are dirt-free.
3. Now make the batter. In a wide bowl, mix together the flour, cornflour, and baking powder before whisking in the ice-cold sparkling water. Whisk gently until just smooth. Dip in the vegetables and ensure they are evenly coated in batter, shaking off any excess.
4. Using a slotted spoon, carefully add half the vegetables to the hot oil and cook for 2–3 minutes. Try not to overfill the pan with the vegetables, as they will stick together. When the batter has puffed up, carefully remove the tempura from the pan and drain on a paper towel, then add the rest of the vegetables to the pan, again cooking for 2–3 minutes.
5. In the meantime, make the dipping sauce. Pour the tomato purée, soy sauce, maple syrup, chili flakes, and cilantro into a bowl. Cut the lime in half and squeeze in the juice through a sieve to stop any seeds from going into the bowl. Whisk until combined.
6. Serve the tempura immediately with individual bowls of dipping sauce.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/tempura-vegetables/