Name: Vegetable Tempura
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 240 g sweet potato (scrubbed and sliced into 5 mm rounds); 200 g eggplant (1 cm thick diagonal slices); 120 g shiitake mushroom (stems trimmed; caps left whole or halved); 160 g green bean (ends trimmed and patted dry); 140 g All-purpose flour (chilled); 40 g cornstarch (chilled); 1 piece Egg (pasteurized and cold); 300 ml ice water (very cold); 1 l neutral frying oil (for deep-frying; about 35 g is absorbed); 60 ml soy sauce (for dipping sauce); 60 ml mirin (for dipping sauce); 120 ml dashi stock (kombu-based or bonito-based, warm)

How to prepare

Arrange the sweet potato, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and green beans on a tray. Pat every surface dry and chill the tray while preparing the batter; moisture makes the hot oil splatter.

Whisk the egg with the ice water in a large bowl. Add the flour and cornstarch, then mix with chopsticks or a fork just 8 to 10 times, leaving visible streaks and small lumps. Keep the bowl over ice if the kitchen is warm.

Combine the soy sauce, mirin, and dashi in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling, about 3 minutes, then keep warm.

Pour the oil into a deep, heavy saucepan and heat to 175°C, checking with a thermometer. Set a wire rack over a tray and keep the batter and vegetables beside the pan.

Dip a few pieces of sweet potato, eggplant, mushrooms, and green beans into the batter, letting excess drip off. Fry in small batches for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the coating is pale golden and crisp and the sweet potato is tender when pierced.

Vegetable tempura frying to a pale golden, crisp finish

AI-generated image

Lift each batch with a spider or slotted spoon, let it drain briefly over the pan, and transfer it to the rack in a single layer. Return the oil to 175°C before frying the next batch; season with salt only if desired.

Arrange the hot tempura on warmed plates with the dipping sauce in small bowls. Serve immediately, offering the sauce for dipping rather than pouring it over the crust.

A plate of assorted vegetable tempura with warm dipping sauce

AI-generated image

Why this recipe works

Cold, lightly mixed batter creates irregular bubbles around the vegetables, while a controlled frying temperature keeps the crust crisp without overbrowning the vegetables. A savory-sweet dipping sauce balances the fried texture.

Storage and reheating

How to store it

Tempura is best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftovers in a single layer in a covered container for up to 2 days; refrigerate the dipping sauce separately for up to 4 days.