Tempura Asparagus Recipes

ASPARAGUS TEMPURA

Steps:

• Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a saucepan or deep fryer over medium-high heat.
• Stir tempura mix and water together to make a loose batter.
• Cut tough ends from the bottom of the asparagus spears. Dip into the batter, making sure spears are evenly coated.
• Carefully add 5 to 6 asparagus spears to the hot oil. Fry until they float to the top, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and season with sea salt. Repeat with remaining asparagus.

ROCK-SHRIMP-AND-ASPARAGUS TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, egg and 1 cup ice water. Sift the flour into the bowl and whisk until smooth. Fill another wide bowl with panko. Dredge the rock shrimp a few pieces at a time in batter, then panko. Set on a plate. Repeat with remaining shrimp and asparagus.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to toast a panko crumb in 30 seconds, add the shrimp, a few pieces at a time. Fry until golden brown on all sides, less than two minutes, then remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and asparagus. Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon or ponzu (recipe below).

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Follow these instructions to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry and make sure the moisture is completely removed from the shrimp.
• Cut all the vegetables (except the eggplant) ¼-inch thick. For the eggplant, cut off and discard the stem and calyx, then cut it in half lengthwise. With the cut side flat on the cutting board, cut the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (about ⅛ inch or 3 mm), being careful to leave the bottom tip intact by 1 inch (2.5 cm) so the slices stay connected. Then, gently press down on the slices to fan them out. Repeat with the other eggplant half.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of the oil to 350°F (180°C).
• While the oil is heating up, start preparing the tempura batter. Add the egg and the iced water into a 2-cup measuring cup (or any bowl). Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten.
• Check the oil temperature with a thermometer to make sure the oil is 350°F (180°C). You can also use wooden chopsticks to check; when you dip your chopsticks in the oil and see small bubbles forming, it's ready for deep-frying. Please note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature (320ºF/160℃). If you want to read more deep-frying tips, please read this post.
• Deep-fry starting with the cleaner and less astringent ingredients. For example, the cooking order would be shiso first, followed by the mushrooms, eggplant, shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kabocha. Make sure your ingredients are dry before dipping them in the batter; if they're wet, dry them with a paper towel first. While the tempura is frying, the moisture from the ingredients will evaporate and the tempura will become crispy. However, if the ingredients have extra moisture, the tempura will become soggy after deep-frying.
• When the oil reaches the right temperature, dip one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue dipping and adding one piece at a time. For the shrimp, sprinkle some flour or potato starch (or cornstarch) over it before dipping to help the tempura batter adhere. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle a bit of sifted flour on the back of the leaf, dip only the back of the leaf into the batter, and deep-fry for 15 seconds. The flour acts as a glue and the batter tends to stay on the ingredients better.
• Deep-fry the ingredients until golden brown. Do not crowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop quickly. Remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. Here's the rough cooking time for each of the ingredients: Shiso (350ºF/180ºC, 20-30 seconds), mushrooms (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), eggplant (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), shrimp (350ºF/180ºC, 2 minutes), sweet potatoes (320ºF/160℃, 3 mins), and kabocha (320ºF/160℃, 2-3 mins). Note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature than the rest of the tempura ingredients.
• Transfer the tempura to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Between batches, clean the oil by scooping up the crumbs (called tenkasu), which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot.
• Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out. Prepare 3-4 Tbsp of warm tentsuyu in individual small bowls and serve the grated daikon on the side.
• Put 1 Tbsp of the grated daikon in the sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
• You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. Reheat the tempura at 350ºF (180ºC) in the oven until warm and crisp.

GREEN BEAN AND ASPARAGUS TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough vegetable oil to fill the pan about 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer, inserted in the oil, reaches 375 degrees F. (If you dont have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 2 minutes.)
• While the oil is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the club soda and sesame oil. Stir until just combined and still lumpy.
• Dip the vegetables in the batter and fry, 3 or 4 at a time, until the batter is golden and crispy, about 60 to 70 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
• Arrange the vegetables on a platter and serve the soy sauce alongside as a dipping sauce.

AIR-FRYER TEMPURA VEGGIES

Steps:

• Mix together flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together eggs and water in another shallow dish. Stir together panko and oil in a third shallow dish. Add desired seasoning to either panko and/or flour mixture.
• Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dip in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, and finally in panko mixture to coat.
• Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Arrange half of the vegetables in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Transfer vegetables to oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining vegetables.

TEMPURA BATTER

Steps:

• Beat egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Fold flour and cold water into egg whites until batter is just barely mixed.

TEMPURA ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Whisk 1 cup cake flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk in 1 cup cold seltzer. Dip 1 bunch trimmed asparagus in the batter and fry in batches in 360 degrees F vegetable oil until crisp, about 2 minutes (drop them in one at a time to prevent sticking). Remove and drain on a rack; season with salt. Serve with ponzu sauce for dipping.

ASPARAGUS TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, and honey.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until the temperature registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sesame seeds, salt, and baking soda.
• Whisk in the seltzer until smooth.
• Add the asparagus to the batter and turn to coat with a pair of tongs.
• Transferring one piece at a time, add about one-quarter of the asparagus to the hot oil and cook, turning, until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Repeat with the remaining asparagus, allowing the oil to return to 375 degrees between batches.
• Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

TEMPURA ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the tough and fibrous bottoms off the asparagus and peel stems with a vegetable peeler. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and coriander. Whisk in soda water just until incorporated with the dry ingredients. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Dip asparagus in batter and place in fryer until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
• Place on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with lemon wedges.

TEMPURA ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Pour 1-inch vegetable oil into a large, deep skillet. Place over medium-high heat and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare the tempura batter according to package instructions. Dip the asparagus in the batter, place in the skillet and fry until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes. Fry in batches.
• In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, lemon juice and scallions. Serve the asparagus with the dipping sauce on the side.

TEMPURA ASPARAGUS WITH SOY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare tempura batter according to package directions. The trick to tempura is to keep the batter very cold. Trim stems on asparagus, dip asparagus into batter and fry in hot oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with soy sauce.

TEMPURA ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Mix all of the ingredients for the dipping sauce together and leave for about 30 minutes.
• Pour enough oil into a wok or large pan to come halfway up the pan. Heat the oil to 180°C. To tes, drop in a 2-3cm cube of bread – it should be golden and crisp in 1 minute
• Place the flour, cornflour and a good pinch of salt in a bowl and mix in the soda water with a chopstick until it is just combined – a thin, slightly lumpy mixture.
• When the oil is ready, trim the ends off the asparagus, rinse under the tap, dust in the 3tbsp of flour, and then briefly dip into the batter.
• Drop straight into the oil, a few at a time, for just 1 to 2 minutes, until pale golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the sauce.