Tempura batter is a delicious coating for seasonal vegetables and works beautifully with red peppers, courgettes and their flowers. Tempura was originally named after a Portuguese dish from the 17th century and in this recipe we are making the most of the end of the asparagus season by serving the asparagus simply with a vegan smoked mayonnaise.

Tempura Asparagus with Smokey Vegan Mayonnaise

Asparagus Tempura

Serves: 4 | Dietary: Vegan, Gluten free

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 bunches asparagus
• 1 tbsp cornflour for dusting

Tempura Batter

• 80g plain flour
• 20g corn flour
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150ml chilled sparkling water
• 1L vegetable oil for deep frying

Method

1. Trim the bottom white parts off the asparagus.
2. Steam the asparagus for 1 minute, then plunge into cold water. Drain and dry off the asparagus with kitchen towel, dust the bottom ¾ of the asparagus with cornflour.
3. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or wok to 165C.
4. To make the tempura batter, pour the chilled water into a large bowl. Sift in the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Mix roughly with a whisk.
5. Dip the bottom ¾ of the asparagus into the batter, then into the oil, keeping hold of the tip of the asparagus with a pair of tongs. Fry for 30 seconds until the batter is golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Serve hot at once with the smoked mayonnaise.

Smokey Mayonnaise

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten-free | Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Cooling time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 225ml water
• 50g gram flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove
• 150ml sunflower oil

Method

1. Measure the water, gram flour, salt and smoked paprika into a small saucepan over a medium heat, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and whisk for a few more minutes until the mix has thickened to a paste.
2. Scrape the paste into a small dish and chill in the fridge till cold.
3. To make the mayonnaise, place the cold paste into a blender or hand held blender jug, and add the lemon juice, mustard and garlic.
4. Blend the mixture until smooth, then gradually add in the oil 1 tablespoon at a time until thick and creamy. Taste and season with more salt or lemon juice if needed.
5. If the mix is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of boiling water and blend until smooth.

Plating suggestions

Choose a pale speckled coloured large plate, add a generous blob of mayonnaise to one side and sprinkle with smoked paprika and place three stems of tempura asparagus, criss-crossing each other.

Also featured in the July 2018 issue of Vegetarian Living Magazine.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram where we are chatting about all things foodie and, if you like this post, please share it!

To keep up to date with events and goings on at the cookery school sign up for our newsletter.