Tenderstem tempura with sesame sauce

Name: Tenderstem tempura with sesame sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 eggs; 150 g plain flour; 230 ml ice-cold soda water; 200 g Tenderstem broccoli; 1 L sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Broccoli’s fluffy florets are great at capturing light tempura batter, transforming them into crispy morsels primed for dipping in umami sesame sauce.

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Vegetarian

Serves4
CourseStarter
Prepare10 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time30 mins

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Ingredients

1 eggs
150g plain flour
230ml ice-cold soda water
200g Tenderstem broccoli
1 L sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the dipping sauce

2 tbsp tahini
1½ tsp light soy sauce
1½ tsp mirin

Method

For the dipping sauce, mix the tahini with the soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl. If it seizes up, just keep stirring until it loosens. Add 3-4 tbsp water and mix until the sauce is slightly thicker than single cream; set aside.
In a large, wide-rimmed bowl, mix the egg into the flour. Add a pinch of salt and, using a spoon, incorporate the soda water. Don’t overmix as you will beat the air out. It doesn’t matter if there are some lumps remaining.
Add enough oil to a large saucepan so that it’s at least 10cm deep but not more than half-full. Heat to 180ºC or until a little bit of batter dropped in takes 30 seconds to brown. Set up a wire rack so it’s ready to drain the fried Tenderstem.
Using a slotted spoon or spider, add a couple of broccoli stems to the batter, fully submerging them and pushing them around so the batter gets all around the heads and into any air pockets. Carefully add the battered broccoli to the hot oil, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for 1 minute 30 seconds, then turn over to cook the other side for another 30 seconds. It is ready when crisp and light brown (the colour of hay). Remove and transfer to the wire rack to cool. Repeat until all the broccoli is fried. Serve straight away with the dipping sauce.

Cook’s tip

The crispy bits of batter that end up in the oil are also delicious – carefully scoop them out, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt before eating.