And the beat rolls on.  Today brings the second week of unResolution month to a close.  Hopefully by now you’ve learned that vegan food can be just as fattening as comfort food. If not, here’s one more chance to convince you!  It’s also a good segue into the next seven days which will be focusing entirely on deep friend foods! Mmmmmm…

However, before we get into this dish, I’d like to thank Gourmet Girl for all her tempura advice.  Thanks!

Now without further ado…

Tempura Veggies

There’s just something wonderful about tempura vegetables.  The lightness and the saltiness of the batter mixed with the crunch and the natural flavor of the vegetables… there’s no finer way to eat vegetables.  Of course, despite the lightness of a tempura fry, it’s still a fry.  Which is how tempura veggies made it to unResolution month and why they’re a sometimes food.

With that being said, on to the recipe!

Tempura Vegetables

You will need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 cups soda water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 8 mushrooms
• 1 onion, sliced in rings
• 10 okra, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 head of broccoli broken into large florets
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• Oil for frying
• Kosher salt to sprinkle on the vegetables

Mix the flour, soda water, salt, and eggs well with a fork until it has the consistency of pancake batter.  Dip the vegetables first in the corn starch and then the tempura batter.  Let the vegetables rest on a plate while the oil heats.

Bring the oil to 350 degrees or heat over medium-high temperature.  You know it’s ready when you add a piece of vegetable and it fries furiously.

Fry the food in small batches until golden brown, usually 2-4 minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack and sprinkle with salt.

Once they are cool, pop them in your mouth and enjoy!

Notes:

• Leave the stems on the mushrooms or else the hole where the cap was will fill with batter and have a hard time cooking completely.

Photo courtesty of jslander.