Tempting Vegetable Tempura

That you can make a good tempura at home was a bit of a revelation to me. That it can be part of a healthy diet was even more surprising. Until recently my tempura cravings were usually indulged at Japanese restaurants, and I chose the word “indulged” carefully there because that’s just how the meals felt: indulgent. Piles of shrimp, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, heavily batter-dipped and deep fried, served with a salty soy-based dipping sauce.

Now, there’s no getting around the fact that tempura is, indeed, a deep-fried dish. But even frying has its place when done correctly. Our corn kakiage was one of our first home forays into tempura land, inspired by a recipe from Nancy Singleton Hachisu in her wonderful cookbook Japanese Farm Food. In it, Nancy includes several tempura dishes but casually mentions that tempura is actually quite difficult to get right. Please don’t be dissuaded though. With a little practice, this is a dish that never fails to impress.