Tempura Vegetables with Lemon-Soy Dipping Sauce

 

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce 
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried (or, fresh) tarragon
• 1 scallion (or, Leek), chopped
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus more if necessary), divided
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup cold sparkling water (plus more if necessary)
• 1 8.8-oz. package precooked beets, sliced into ½-in. rounds and patted dry
• red onion (or, Leek), cut into ½-in. wedges 
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into ¼-in. rounds
• 1 ½ cups broccoli florets

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Heat vegetable oil to 360°F in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high.
2. Whisk ⅔ cup water, soy sauce, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and tarragon in a small bowl. Stir in scallion. Set aside.
3. Combine ¼ cup flour, cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl or plate.
4. Break up the egg gently with chopsticks or a spoon in a medium bowl. Add cold sparkling water and stir to combine. Gently stir in the remaining 1 cup flour and ½ teaspoon salt. (Do not overmix; batter will be slightly lumpy.)
5. Using chopsticks or tongs, dip vegetables, 1 at a time, in cornstarch mixture, then shake off lightly and dip in egg mixture. Drop pieces into hot oil, adding no more than 5 or 6 at a time so oil temperature doesn’t lower too much (you’ll get a crispier result). Let vegetables cook, carefully flipping halfway through, until crispy and lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. After every other batch, check batter consistency; you may need to add about 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon cold sparkling water to get the batter back to its original consistency.
6. Remove fried vegetables with a slotted spoon or spider; drain on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. Place in oven to keep warm while repeating the frying process with remaining vegetables. Serve hot with lemon-soy dipping sauce.

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