Crispy Vegetable Tempura

Hi Guys! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I have been jumping around the last few days, spending time in Eastern Washington for a wedding and now I am in Houston Texas (HI HOUSTON!!)

I have to say, I have never been to Houston before, and I can’t believe how green it is. I mean, I know it is on the coast, but it looks as green as Seattle around here! I am sad I don’t get to do much exploring since I am downtown, and only here for about 24 hours, but I always love spending time in Texas. Also grateful that the weather is not nearly as dramatic as it is on the news. When we watched the Today show on Thursday and saw people being rescued from roof tops and drowning cars by boat, the girls were crying, begging me not to go to Texas- but it has only drizzled a little since I have been here, and no raging rivers or flood waters in town that I can spot. So when the girls called and asked me if I was traveling around the city by boat instead of uber, I was able to give them a resounding NO.

Ok, so now we move onto Crispy Vegetable Tempura. Mouth wateringly good, lick your fingers tasty Crispy Vegetable Tempura.

We have always been big frequenters of Japanese restaurants, but when the kids were younger, they were less about the sushi and more about whatever they could find deep-fried. They are children after my own heart after all!

The favorite was typically Vegetable Tempura, and who could blame them? What’s not to like about your favorite veggies deep-fried into a crispy golden shell? And that’s what you have here- a delicious way to get your daily serving of veggies. Obviously you could add shrimp to the mix too if that’s your favorite way to eat tempura! Or you could serve this as the appetizer for this delicious Spicy Salmon Sushi Bowl for a really fun dinner!

Crispy Vegetable Tempura

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Vegetable Tempura:
4 cups assorted vegetable pieces, (such as onion rounds, zucchini, carrots, green beans and peppers)
2½ cups sweet white rice flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 ounces gluten free beer (I used pale ale)
Oil for frying (I used vegetable)
Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons coconut amino acids
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups rice flour and the kosher salt. Pour in the gluten free beer and whisk until you have a smooth pasty batter. If it feels a little runny, then slowly add 1 tablespoon of rice flour at a time until it has thickened up. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a large heavy pot fitted with a thermometer.
Remove the batter from the fridge and whisk it so that it is smooth again (it may have started to separate).
Dip the vegetable pieces into the batter to coat them and then fry them, about 4 or 5 pieces at a time, stirring constantly. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Drain briefly, sprinkle with kosher salt and put on a warm serving platter.
Serve the tempura hot with the dipping sauce.

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