Tempura Cauliflower & Broccoli
This is a super quick and simple appetizer or tasty snack that can be made with almost any crunchy vegetable, but my favorites are Cauliflower and Broccoli.
Ingredients
1 small head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 head broccoli broken into florets.
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
one 12oz bottle of light beer or sparkling water (fridge cold)
about five cups of cooking oil such as canola or other suitable for deep frying
a pinch of salt.
Optional flavorings for the batter: 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, coriander or paprika..
Method
Mix the flour and beer/sparkling water, salt and any optional extra spices together in a bowl until a batter forms, but don’t overmix so as to avoid stirring out all the fizz from the beer or sparkling water since that’s what makes the cooked batter light and crispy.
Put the batter in the fridge if you’re not ready to use it immediately.
Heat three inches of the oil in a deep saucepan on a medium high heat or a deep-fat fryer if you have one. You want to reach a temperature of about 400F, but that can be had to tell if you’re just using a saucepan on the stove, so when you think it’s hot enough, drip in a small amount of batter and if the oil is ready the batter will go crispy and golden in just a minute or two.
Working in batches, dip the cauliflower and broccoli florets in the batter and carefully placing them in the oil. I use a set of metal tongs for this to keep my fingers well away from the hot oil. Be sure not to put too many veggies in the pot at once so they don’t stick together and can cook evenly.
Once the batter is a nice golden brown all over, remove the veggies from the oil with the tongs or a slotted metal spoon and place them on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and allow them to cool for three or four minutes before trying to eat them.
These should be eaten fresh while they’re still crispy and they are great dipped in a little soy sauce or some sweet chili.