You are going to love these tempura vegetables with ginger soy sauce. The vegetables are perfectly cooked and coated in total decadence.
They're vegetables, yes, but the batter has a beer and vodka in it and they're fried in oil. But, sometimes, it's just worth it.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Tempura veggies are just delightful. They are melt in your mouth good. Something delightful happens to vegetables when they are coated in batter and fried - they become incredibly succulent and tender.
This batter in this recipe is perfect for veggies - it's light enough that you don't get overwhelmed by batter but thick enough that it stays on the vegetables. The vodka and beer add the lightness to this recipe and the wonderful little bubbles.
Tips for Making Tempura Vegetables
If you don't drink alcohol, you can achieve a very similar effect with soda water. Just remove the alcohol and add the same amount of sparkling water.
Be careful with the zucchini and red onion - if you cut the pieces too small and all you taste is the batter, but too large a piece won't cook well. For the zucchini, cut it no more than finger width, and the red onions, about the same.
You can use any other veggies you like with this recipe. I've had it with cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, eggplant, yellow squash, etc. I really, really recommend the red onion. It's just the best. The onion's consistency in tempura is phenomenal.
Tempura veggies do NOT keep well in the fridge. Once you make them, you need to serve them. So if you don't want to make four servings, half or quarter this recipe.
Tempura Vegetables
These tempura vegetables are perfectly cooked and have a deliciously crispy crust coating.
Ingredients
Tempura Dipping Sauce
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-inch ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped scallions, optional
Tempura Vegetables
- 5 cups of vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 ounces of light beer
- 2 tablespoons vodka
- pinch of salt
- 1 zucchini, sliced (finger width lengths)
- 1 red onion, chopped (1-inch width)
- 3 large bell peppers, sliced (finger width lengths)
- 15 to 20 green beans
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and scallions) and let it sit to combine flavors.
- Heat the oil to 325 degrees F in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat (the oil needs at least a 2-inch depth, add more or less depending on your pan) Meanwhile, add the flour, beer, vodka, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine till there are no lumps.
- One at a time, drag the vegetables through the tempura mixture and shake off any excess. There should be a light coating over the whole vegetable piece.
- Once the oil is ready, gently add the vegetable pieces to the pot. Do not overcrowd - vegetables should not touch each other.
- Let each piece fry for 2 to 3 minutes, flip them over at least once with tongs. If the oil gets too hot and starts sputtering, lower the heat to medium-high.
- Remove vegetable pieces when they are golden brown. Lay flat on a paper towel, so the excess oil is soaked up. Continue till the vegetables or batter run out.
- Serve the tempura vegetables with ginger garlic soy sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 518Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 918mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g