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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Jun 9, 2015 · Modified: Jun 27, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 32 Comments

    Vegetable tempura

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    Total time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 5
    5 from 1 vote
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    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.
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    I love tempura. I almost always order it whenever I see it on the menu at a Chinese restaurant - the rest of the time I go for spring rolls, another firm favourite. Tempura is actually a Japanese dish, and it's just vegetables (or sometimes seafood, though I avoid that for obvious reasons) that have been dipped in a really light batter, and deep fried.

    I am aware that using the words 'light' and 'deep fried' in the same sentence may sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but tempura batter is so thin and crispy that 'light' just seems like the perfect way to describe it. It's made with sparkling water, and the bubbles keep it really... light. There's no other word!

    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.

    You can use pretty much whatever vegetables you like to make your vegetable tempura - I went for mushrooms, cauliflower, and tenderstem (which I believe is known as broccolini in some parts of the world). If you're not familiar with tenderstem, it's very similar to broccoli, but it has long, thin stems that are really... well, tender (apparently I'm not good with words today). If, like me, you think the stalk is the best bit of broccoli, you'll love tenderstem - it's got more of the good bit!

    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.

    The lovely folks behind tenderstem are keen to show that it makes a great addition to a romantic date night, and although deep-fried vegetables might not seem like the most elegant of dishes, I think vegetable tempura would be a great thing to cook on date night! Get your aprons on, and get involved in the cooking together. One person can batter, one can fry - much more fun than one person just sitting there getting bored while the other cooks. Just don't start a playful oil fight...

    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.

    I whipped up a really quick Asian-style dip to go with my vegetable tempura. It's just soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and a few slices of red chilli. I'll admit, these aren't flavours that I would usually choose to go for (I'm actually not a big fan of ginger), but I found myself dipping away, and really enjoying the combination of the tangy sauce with the crispy vegetables. Give it a go!

    (PS. please don't look too hard at my chopstick technique... I have no idea what I'm doing. But it works for me!)

    (Ohhh, and PPS. If you'd like to win a hamper containing some tenderstem, and heaps of other ingredients to go along with it, stop by my Facebook page!)

    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.

    Vegetable tempura

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 5
    Calories:
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
    • 1 cm piece red chilli, sliced
    • ½ head cauliflower
    • ~ 15 stalks tenderstem
    • ~ 6 medium mushrooms
    • 100 g plain flour (~ ⅔ cup)
    • 1 tablespoon cornflour, heaped
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    • Oil for frying
    • 250 ml ice cold sparkling water (~ 1 cup)

    Instructions

    • First, prepare the dipping sauce. Combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, grated ginger, and sliced chilli, and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
    • Next, prepare the vegetables. Cut the cauliflower into small florets, trim the ends off the tenderstem and remove any leaves, and cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters.
    • Combine the plain flour and cornflour in a large bowl with some salt and pepper.
    • Begin to heat up an inch or two of oil in a large, deep pan or wok over a high heat. When the oil is nearly ready, finish making the batter by adding the sparkling water to the flour mixture. Mix to combine, but don't over mix it, as you don't want to beat out the bubbles - it doesn't matter if a few lumps remain.
    • Working in small batches, coat the vegetables in the batter, and drop them into the hot oil. Cook for several minutes, turning the vegetables over halfway, until the batter is lightly golden. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a plate lined with paper towels while you cook the next batch.
    • Repeat with the remaining batter and vegetables. Season with more salt if desired, and serve with the dipping sauce.

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!
    Vegetable tempura NI

    Note: nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.

    Vegetable tempura - one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The batter is so light and crispy! Use whatever veg you like - I used mushrooms, cauliflower and tenderstem.

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    Comments

    1. Diane says

      June 24, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      Deep fat frying is not something I do. I can't wait to read your new post on how to do it without a deep fat fryer! This recipe looks really good! Cauliflower is so versatile and looks great in tempura! That dipping sauce definitely needs to land on my dinner table. Can't wait to make it!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        June 24, 2015 at 5:08 pm

        A lot of people have said they're looking forward to that post, I'll have to get on it quickly! :)

        Reply
    2. Abigail says

      June 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm

      Your vegetable tempura looks crunchy-licious! These are one of my favorite foods! Pinned.

      Reply
    3. Katerina says

      June 24, 2015 at 7:53 am

      Well sometimes you just have to follow your heart and eat fried too! These is a delicious tempura!

      Reply
    4. Elena says

      June 24, 2015 at 7:43 am

      Your tempura looks amazing! I LOVE tenderstem, I will definitely try this recipe soon

      Reply
    5. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says

      June 24, 2015 at 6:31 am

      I love anything tempura! This is a great recipe.

      Reply
    6. Healing Tomato says

      June 24, 2015 at 5:55 am

      This tempura looks so delicious! I have to try it ASAP. I am a huge fan of cauliflower.

      Reply
    7. Jillian @ Food, Folks and Fun says

      June 24, 2015 at 5:55 am

      One of my favorite dishes, thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

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