Beer-Batter Tempura Vegetables with Ginger Sauce

Name: Beer-Batter Tempura Vegetables with Ginger Sauce
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Ingredients Sauce 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil Tempura 12 large broccoli florets 12 large cauliflower florets 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed 1/4 cup arrowroot 1/2 cup unbleached flour 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup lager or pilsner beer, cold 1 large egg, whisked Vegetable oil for deep-frying Fine salt, optional

By:

Robin Asbell

Recipe Information

Total Time:

40 minutes

Servings:

A Japanese favorite gets a beery twist. The bubbly beer gives the fried batter a lacy, shatteringly crisp texture.

A Japanese favorite gets a beery twist—and the bubbly beer gives the batter a lacy, shatteringly crisp texture when it's fried. Feel free to use other vegetables, as long as they are relatively dry, firm veggies, like sliced sweet potato or whole snow peas.

Ingredients

Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Tempura

12 large broccoli florets
12 large cauliflower florets
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lager or pilsner beer, cold
1 large egg, whisked
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Fine salt, optional

Preparation

Stir the sauce ingredients together and reserve.
Set up an ice bath to keep the batter cold: put ice cubes in a large bowl and pour in a cup of water. You will place the bowl of batter in the ice water while you batter and fry the vegetables. Line a sheet pan with two layers of paper towels for draining the tempura as you cook, and preheat the oven to 200⁰F, if you need to hold the finished tempura for a few minutes before serving.
Prep all the vegetables—you want nice long stems on the cauliflower and broccoli florets. Cut the bell pepper, trim the asparagus bottoms. Pat the veggies dry.
In a large bowl, combine the unbleached flour, arrowroot, chickpea flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk to mix. Just before frying, measure the cold beer, quickly stir the egg into it, and stir into the flour mixture. Don't overmix; little lumps are okay.
In a deep fat fryer or a Dutch oven, heat 3 inches of oil to 375⁰F. Working in batches of 3 or 4 pieces, dredge broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper rings, and asparagus spears in batter to coat completely, letting excess drip off, and fry, turning, until golden, about 1 minute for asparagus and peppers, 2-3 minutes for broccoli and cauliflower. Transfer the fried tempura to the prepared sheet pan, sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately or hold for up to 30 minutes in the oven.
Serve tempura with sauce.