There’s something really gratifying about frying vegetables. Have you ever tried it? For me, it’s a whole other experience than frying up some meat or something. I can’t really pinpoint why that is but it just is. It’s almost like it’s forbidden. I realize this probably makes no sense so let’s just say I found it therapeutic to make this vegetable tempura. Is that lame? Maybe.
I’ll get to the vegetables in a second. In the meantime, I wanted to share something I’ve been thinking about lately: making decisions.
I think we can agree that life is hard sometimes. Between working, bills, life, family and everything in between, sometimes it’s just overwhelming. I used to think that if you make a decision, what comes after is the hard part. That’s not necessarily untrue but I don’t really believe that sentiment anymore. I truly believe that making a decision is the tough part. I mean, really! Deciding what to do (or not do) is truly the most difficult part of life. At least that’s been my experience.
So many times, I’ve struggled with whether or not I should do something and what will happen if I say yes. What happens if I say no? I mean, the stress you put yourself through worrying about what *might* happen based on a decision you haven’t even made yet. Sounds silly, right? I’m saying all of this for a reason (yes, I’ll get to the vegetable tempura soon). Allow me to share a snippet from something I saw on Instagram recently.
My Instagram friend, Butter Be Ready (yes, same one from this yummy lemon sheet cake), shared something from Deepak Chopra regarding making decisions. I won’t share the entire thing but here’s the meat of it:
“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another. The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience.”
I did all of this rambling to say: if you’re stressing about a decision. Don’t.
Now let’s move on.
Vegetable tempura (the best)
Tempura is a Japanese style dish usually consisting of seafood or veggies that have been fried. Tempura is really the technique of dipping said seafood or vegetable into a batter. Typically the batter is light which makes the final product really light and crunchy.
I did not have a tough time making the decision to fry up these babies.
I could have gotten a little more creative with the dipping sauce (I went with soy sauce) but I was being pretty lazy. You could also try it with sambal or any type of Asian dipping sauce. These make great appetizers or a simple side dish.
Easy vegetable tempura
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/2 cup sparkling water
- 1 lb. assorted vegetables
- Flaky salt, optional
- Dipping sauce
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Add the club soda and whisk until the batter is smooth. If the batter is too thick, add an ice cube to help thin it out.
- Cut the vegetables 1/8 inch slices.
- Pour enough oil into a medium saucepan or a deep fryer. Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels.
- Working in batches and using tongs, dip some of the vegetables into the batter. Carefully add a few pieces to the hot oil (don't overcrowd the pan). Turn vegetables occasionally and fry until lightly golden on all sides, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
- Transfer tempura to paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle flaky salt on top and serve with dipping sauce.
