serves
2
prep
15 minutes
cook
15 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
2
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
15
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, cut on the diagonal into 2 cm-thick slices
- 100 g cauliflower florets
- 1 small red capsicum, seeds removed, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons
- 100 g swiss brown mushrooms, cut in half
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and halved
- Grapeseed oil, for frying
- Dried lemon myrtle, to sprinkle
Tempura batter
- 80 g (½ cup) plain flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 160 ml ice-cold beer
Chilling time: 30 min
Instructions
1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Blanch the zucchini, cauliflower, capsicum and carrot separately for 1 minute, then drain and refresh in iced water. Drain again, then spread out onto a tea towel-lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes to dry out.
2. For the batter, sift the flour and cornflour into a bowl. Add the egg and beer, then whisk to combine. Strain the batter through a sieve into a bowl.
Heat the grapeseed oil in a deep-fryer or large, deep saucepan to 180˚C.
4. Working in small batches to avoid crowding. dip the vegetables into the batter, allowing the excess to drain off and fry until just golden. Drain on paper towel, sprinkle with a little dried lemon myrtle and serve immediately.
Catch Mark Olive in the second season of On Country Kitchen, Wednesdays 7:30 on NITV from 23 October to 18 December, or on SBS On Demand.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
