There are a few things I’d never really eaten until I stopped eating meat – caponata, quinoa and tempura vegetables among them. However, over the past year or so, they’ve all become delicious, regular items on weekly rotation.
Tempura vegetables might seem a little intimidating, but they’re essentially battered vegetables fried in hot oil. If you can make chips, you’ll be fine with tempura.
You can choose almost any vegetables you’d like – from broccoli to thin slices of sweet potato – but we particularly love using mushrooms. I think it’s the texture that just translates so well and gives you that meaty “chew“. As they can be a little on the pricey side, we also add some courgettes, sliced into thin, long strips.
When it comes to toppings and favourite products, I’ve completely fallen in love with the B-Well range of mayonnaise. Vegan and completely delicious, it makes me wonder why mayonnaise needs eggs it in it at all. It comes in tangy and creamy varieties, and I’m not ashamed to admit that we always stock up during our weekly Food Lover’s Market grocery trips.
So, what is this like? Crunchy vegetables, meets tangy coleslaw, with fresh spring onion and a dash of hot sauce. All on a soft, pillowy roll. It’s the ultimate weekend lunch food.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
200g mushrooms – we love oyster and shimeji
2 courgettes
unflavoured cooking oil, for deep frying
for the tempura batter
1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup cold water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
for the coleslaw
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 cup finely grated carrot
3 tbsp mayonnaise
to serve
4 soft rolls
finely sliced spring onion
chilli or hot sauce
Method:
Place the oil in a large pot on a high heat. Allow to come to temperature while you prepare the vegetables and batter. Leave the small mushrooms whole, cutting the larger mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Cut the courgettes into quarters, lengthways, so you have thin batons. To make the tempura batter, place the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the oil and water in a small jar and pour in slowly, while whisking until mostly incorporated – a few lumps are fine.
To test your oil, drop in a tiny amount of batter – if it starts bubbling and floating immediately, your oil is ready. Dip each mushroom and piece of courgette in the batter and gently lower into the oil. Allow to cook for 3 -5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a piece of paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining vegetables.
Slice each roll in half horizontally. To assemble, mix the carrots, cabbage and mayonnaise together for your coleslaw and place a heaped tablespoon (or two) onto each sliced roll. Top with the tempura mushrooms and courgettes, adding finely sliced spring onion and hot sauce to taste.
This post is sponsored by Food Lover’s Market.
What do you think?