5 from 12 votes
Vegetable Tempura Batter Recipe
This Vegetable Tempura Batter Recipe yields a light, crisp coating ideal for sliced vegetables like kabocha squash, root vegetables, eggplant, and zucchini. The batter combines chilled egg, vodka, and carbonated water with flour and potato starch, quickly mixed to maintain lightness. Deep-fried in hot oil, the result is a delicate crunch paired with a savory dipping sauce made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings:
2
Calories:
7081 kcal
Course:
Appetizer
Cuisine:
Japanese
Ingredients
Vegetable tempura
- 4 c vegetables sliced and prepared
- neutral cooking oil vegetable oil preferred
- ¾ c all-purpose wheat flour
- ½ c potato starch
- 1 egg straight from the fridge, large
- ¼ c vodka chilled in the freezer
- ¾ c carbonated water chilled in the fridge
Tetsuya dipping sauce
- 1 c water
- 2 g dashi mix
- ¼ c soy sauce
- ¼ c mirin
Instructions
Vegetable tempura
- Prep vegetables by washing and drying them before dunking them in the batter.
- For kabocha, slice the squash in half and remove the seeds. Slice the kabocha into ⅛ inch pieces.
- For root vegetables, cut into ⅛ even slices to make sure they cook properly.
- For eggplants, keep the top intact and make slices starting from the middle to the bottom of the vegetable. The eggplant should look like a fan.
- For zucchini, cut the tops off and cut into lengthwise strips with a ¼ inch width.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, add about 2 inches of oil from the bottom of the pot. Heat the oil to 350 °F degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour and ½ cup of potato starch and mix thoroughly.
- In another bowl, add the egg and mix in the cold vodka. Then add the carbonated water.
- Carefully, add the wet batter into the mixing bowl and use the chopsticks to mix the batter in swift movements. Try to lift the bowl and move the bowl in round movements while stirring with the chopsticks. Make sure to not over-mix the batter or your tempura will end up chewy. You should have some lumps in your batter. The mixing process should take no longer than one minute.
- Carefully lower the battered vegetables into the oil. The vegetables cook fairly quickly so make sure to watch these carefully. Root vegetables take about three minutes and other vegetables take about one to two minutes depending on their thickness.
- Turn the vegetables every so often so they cook properly.
- Remove the cooked vegetables (it should have a pale blonde color) from the oil and place over paper towels on a cooling rack.
- Serve immediately with the tetsuya dipping sauce.
Cup of Yum
Tentsuyu dipping sauce
- In a small sauce pot, add the water over a medium-low heat.
- Add the dashi mix, soy sauce, and mirin.
- Heat until it boils for one minute and then remove from heat.
- Serve in a small sauce dish.
Nutrition Information
Calories
708.1kcal
(35%)
Carbohydrates
131.9g
(44%)
Protein
25.6g
(51%)
Fat
4.6g
(7%)
Saturated Fat
1.2g
(6%)
Cholesterol
81.8mg
(27%)
Sodium
2098.9mg
(87%)
Potassium
1314.1mg
(28%)
Fiber
18.4g
(74%)
Sugar
9.1g
(18%)
Vitamin A
18602.7IU
(372%)
Vitamin C
39.4mg
(44%)
Calcium
142.2mg
(14%)
Iron
7.3mg
(41%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 7081
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 708.1kcal | 35% |
| Carbohydrates | 131.9g | 44% |
| Protein | 25.6g | 51% |
| Fat | 4.6g | 7% |
| Saturated Fat | 1.2g | 6% |
| Cholesterol | 81.8mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 2098.9mg | 87% |
| Potassium | 1314.1mg | 28% |
| Fiber | 18.4g | 74% |
| Sugar | 9.1g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 18602.7IU | 372% |
| Vitamin C | 39.4mg | 44% |
| Calcium | 142.2mg | 14% |
| Iron | 7.3mg | 41% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.