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Battered vegetables, East and West style
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"Vegetables in a savoury casing". A definition that renders the idea of the appearance and flavour of vegetables fried in batter.
Crunchy outside but soft inside, this is a refined and mouth-watering dish to serve both as an appetiser or as a side dish, though not without first becoming acquainted with the right secrets for frying to perfection so that the flavour of the vegetables is emphasised without altering its delicacy, giving them a pleasant golden colour. |
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Batter makes for one of the most delicious and versatile ways of frying, and is a mixture made with flour which serves to protect the food from the heat as well as emphasising its flavour.
The recipe for preparing the batter varies according to the food to be fried. For vegetables and savoury foods in general, the basic ingredients are flour, eggs, oil and a pinch of salt. Different liquids can be used to dilute it; some prefer water, others milk whilst still others recommend diluting with beer.
So-called "beer batter" has two essential bonuses. It is lighter than batter made with milk and increases considerably during cooking. Thus it protects the vegetables better, which cook without losing their juiciness and without coming into direct contact with the frying oil.
Place 150g of flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Break two eggs, add the yolks to the flour and keep the whites to one side. Add two tablespoons of lager and two of olive oil. Mix the ingredients with the help of a small, flexible whisk. Continue to beat until the batter is soft and perfectly smooth. At this point, cover with Clingfilm and leave to rest for one hour at room temperature.
The standing time for the batter is essential for ensuring that the vegetables fry well: only this way will it adhere to the vegetables evenly and above all will avoid it coming away on contact with the boiling oil.
In the meantime, continue by whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks. These should only be delicately stirred into the batter when it is about to be used.
To give the mixture a little something extra, the frying batter can be aromatised with spices such as saffron, nutmeg and cinnamon, or finely chopped basil and parsley to be added to the batter at the last minute along with the egg whites. It is obviously necessary to match the flavouring with the kinds of vegetables chosen.
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WHICH VEGETABLES TO CHOOSE AND HOW TO PREPARE THEM |
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The best vegetables for battering are courgettes, pumpkin flowers and artichokes. Small mushrooms are particularly delicious: when fried whole, their fragrance is wonderful.
For a more original and flavoursome side dish, try using cardoons, broccoli or cauliflower florets. In any case, the batter can be used for other vegetables that can withstand being fried alone, such as aubergines, spring onions and peppers.
An idea for a mouth-watering appetiser could be to prepare a dish full of different types of vegetables.
Once cleaned, the vegetables should be cut in the most suitable way: the courgettes can be cut lengthwise with the help of a potato peeler, or they can be cut into matchsticks; artichokes can be cut into wedges; cardoons into small pieces, whilst cauliflower and broccoli should be divided into florets first and then sliced. Both button mushrooms and pumpkin flowers can be fried whole.
The cooking procedure is the same for all vegetables, with just one difference: firmer vegetables requiring longer cooking times (such as cauliflower, cardoons and artichokes), should be softened in boiling water for a few minutes before being dipped in the batter and fried. Prolonged frying would actually alter the flavour of the vegetables and would prevent the batter from being perfectly crunchy, owing to its having absorbed too much oil.
Once the batter and the vegetables have been prepared, they should be cooked as follows. Place a frying pan on the heat (it is always best to use the traditional heavy-bottomed pan for frying) with plenty of olive or peanut oil. Bring it up to the correct temperature (about 190°) and begin to drop a few vegetable pieces in at a time. Drop them individually into the boiling oil, one at a time, to avoid the oil from cooling. Stir carefully a couple of times then remove the vegetables using a slotted spoon as soon as they appear uniformly golden. Leave to dry on a sheet of kitchen roll, season and serve immediately.
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Along with sushi and sashimi, tempura is one of the best-loved and most widespread Japanese specialities found in the West.
This method of battering does not differ greatly from the classic technique described above. In addition to being incredibly light and steamy- and thus perfect for vegetables- it has the advantage of introducing a novel touch for surprising dinner guests.
Here is a useful recipe with which to make perfect Japanese fried vegetables at home, using mixed vegetables accompanied by a delicious sauce.
The ingredients: 3 courgettes, 1 aubergine, 1 green pepper, 12 shitake mushrooms or alternatively 12 small button mushrooms, 6 spring onions, 2 leeks, 2 carrots, 3 heads of red radicchio, 1 egg yolk, 150g of flour, one cup of iced water, ˝ a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, Soya seed oil and seed oil for frying, 3 tablespoons of semi-sweet sherry, 3 tablespoons of Japanese soy sauce, 3dl of broth.
After having prepared the vegetables, place the water, flour, a pinch of salt, the egg yolk and the bicarbonate in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients well using a whisk or a wooden spoon and leave to rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
One of the main differences between tempura and battering as we are used to it concerns precisely the temperature of the batter which, according to the Japanese technique, must be ice-cold. It is for this reason that it must be kept in the fridge so long.
Next is the preparation of the sauce, which must be served separately in individual bowls for dipping the vegetables. Pour the sherry, soy sauce and broth into a pan; bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
When the batter is ready, heat plenty of Soya oil and seed oil in a large frying pan. Dip the vegetables in the batter and then drop them in the hot oil. As soon as they are golden in colour, remove them from the heat, place on a plate covered with a piece of kitchen roll and serve hot.
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