SPICED GREEN BEANS AND BABY BROCCOLI TEMPURA
Deep-frying is not something I do often, but after I've eaten well-executed tempura at a restaurant and can't shake the memory of delicious batter-fried vegetables, I get out my wok. I turn on the hood fan, open the window and start heating up oil. I like to play around with different batters and coatings. This spicy, delicate batter is somewhere between a puffy beignet-type coating and a simpler egg, flour and bread-crumb dusting. It's mostly cornstarch, with a small amount of cornmeal and whole wheat flour - just enough to hold the batter together. I add dukkah, cilantro and cumin for flavor and texture. Ice-cold sparkling water helps keep the batter light; it fries up crispy rather than bready because there's very little gluten to toughen it. You can use this batter with all sorts of vegetables, but I particularly love green beans and baby broccoli. The batter wraps itself nicely around the smooth beans and nestles in among the spindly flowers at the end of a baby broccoli stem, resulting in lacy, extra-crispy tempura. A wok is ideal for deep-frying. It can accommodate a lot of vegetables at one time without crowding, and it holds heat well. The oil should hover between 350 and 375 degrees so that the vegetables cook quickly and crisp up without absorbing too much oil. Be sure to let the oil come back up to temperature between batches, and use a thermometer. You will be amazed to find a green bean tender and hot inside its crispy coating in two minutes or less.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, lunch, snack, vegetables, appetizer, side dish
Time 30m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, polenta or cornmeal, whole wheat flour, salt and cumin. Whisk in sparkling water. Stir in cilantro and dukkah.
- Top and tail beans. Cut long stems off broccoli; cut broccoli tops into smaller florets or leave intact.
- Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a wok or wide saucepan and heat over medium-high heat to 350 to 375 degrees. Set up a sheet pan with a rack on it next to pan and cover rack with layers of paper towels. Have a deep-fry skimmer handy for removing vegetables from the oil onto the rack.
- Using tongs, dip vegetables into the batter a few at a time, making sure to coat thoroughly. Transfer to hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip over with skimmer to make sure coating is evenly fried. Do not crowd pan. Let oil come back up to temperature between batches.
- Using skimmer, remove vegetables from oil, allowing excess oil to drip back into pan, and drain on towel-covered rack. Sprinkle with salt right away if desired. Cool slightly and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 205, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 88 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams
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Precious Chinganga
[email protected]This recipe is a great way to use up leftover vegetables. I had some leftover green beans and baby broccoli, and they worked perfectly in this recipe.
EVOIX De La Luz
[email protected]I served the tempura with a side of steamed rice and a bowl of miso soup. It was a delicious and satisfying meal.
sharon batten
[email protected]I added some grated ginger to the tempura batter for a little extra flavor. It was a great addition!
Mohammad Yousaf
[email protected]I didn't have any tempura flour on hand, so I made my own using a recipe I found online. The tempura batter turned out great!
Amy Ahmed
[email protected]I accidentally used all-purpose flour instead of tempura flour. The tempura batter still turned out crispy, but it wasn't as light and fluffy as it should have been.
Saskriti Lawati
[email protected]I had a hard time finding baby broccoli at my local grocery store. I ended up using regular broccoli, and it worked out fine.
Ma7m0uD 3Uf
[email protected]The dipping sauce was too sweet for my taste. I would recommend using a different dipping sauce next time.
Adam Romo
[email protected]The tempura batter was a little too thick for my taste, but the vegetables were cooked perfectly. I would recommend using a thinner batter next time.
amir gulzar
[email protected]This recipe is a keeper! I will definitely be making it again.
Hamdan Jutt
[email protected]I was worried that the tempura batter would be too greasy, but it wasn't. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, and the dipping sauce was delicious.
Rebecca Fatch
[email protected]These green beans and baby broccoli tempura are a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. My kids loved the crispy tempura batter, and they ate all of their vegetables without complaining.
Jhiana Amber
[email protected]I've never made tempura before, but this recipe made it easy. The instructions were clear and concise, and the results were delicious. The tempura batter was crispy and flavorful, and the vegetables were cooked perfectly.
Boardman Khumalo
[email protected]These green beans and baby broccoli tempura were a hit at my dinner party! The tempura batter was light and crispy, and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. I especially loved the dipping sauce, which had a nice balance of sweet and sour.