Crispy Veggie Tempura
The moment your teeth break through the golden, feather-like crispy crust, the juice of zucchini bursts on the tip of your tongue. The earthy taste of shiitake mushrooms is steamed into a delicious aroma by high heat, and the fresh scent of perilla leaves rises in the aftertaste -- this light vegetarian bomb subverts your perception of frying.
To create this golden coat, prepare the mixed vegetables:
Zucchini + shiitake mushrooms + sweet potatoes, cut into 2mm uniform thin slices (sweet potatoes can be quickly sliced into even pieces with a rotary grater’s slicing attachment -- the tool’s steady rotation ensures each slice is identical, so they fry evenly).
Tempura batter: 150ml ice water + 1 egg yolk + 100g low-gluten flour, stir slightly to leave particles.
Cooking Steps:
Step 1. Vegetable Refinement (10 minutes): Cut zucchini into oval slices, sweet potatoes into 2mm thin slices (use a rotary grater for consistent thickness), remove the stems of shiitake mushrooms and carve with a pattern knife.
Step 2.Ice Batter Preparation (2 minutes): Gently stir ice water with egg yolk, sift in flour and stir 5 times in a Z-shape.
Step 3.Frying Technique (90 seconds per batch): Heat the oil to 170°C, coat the vegetables with a thin layer of batter and put them into the pot. Press with a steel frying net to make the vegetables half-soaked in oil, and fry until the foam becomes small.
Tips:
The temperature of the batter must be < 5°C.
Put no more than 5 slices into the oil per batch to prevent temperature drop.
