Vegetable Tempura (Vegan)

Tempura is a Japanese dish made with an assortment of veggies that is deep fried in a light and airy batter and crisped to perfection.
What makes tempura distinct from other frying batters is its use of flour, corn starch and iced soda water. The cold soda water slows the development of gluten and allows the hot oil to get into and around the batter, making it fluffier, lighter and crisp.
Try this recipe out with lotus roots, eggplant, olives, pumpkin slices, beans, bell pepper and jalapeños, and serve with your favourite dipping!

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup soda water, chilled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Oil for frying
  Assorted vegetables :
• Button mushrooms
• broccoli florets
• Baby carrots or sliced carrots
• Zucchini, sliced
• Jalapeños, sliced
• Sweet potato, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:-

1. To a mixing bowl, sift the flour, corn starch and baking powder. Add the soda water and stir until no lumps remain. (Besides the chilled soda water, you can also add 3-4 ice cubes to the batter to keep it cold).
2. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready for frying, dip each veggie in the cold batter and coat evenly, shaking off any excess batter.
3. Transfer the veggies to the hot oil and deep-fry for 1-2 minutes on each side or until it turns crisp and golden. (Make sure not to over-crowd the wok, add only 2-3 veggies at a time.)
4. Once done, set them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
5. Serve hot with soy sauce, hot sauce or any other desired dipping.