As a chef, it's in my nature to enjoy preparing food for others - especially when it comes to gatherings with friends. These yummy tempura nibblers are so tasty, even your omnivore friends and family will love them! As a bonus, this super-easy tempura recipe can be used with veggies to accompany a variety of dishes. Nibble on, my friends!
Ingredients
Tempura:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cup cold club soda
- Peanut Oil (enough to provide 1 1/2 inch depth for frying in your deep skillet or dutch oven)
Ranch Dip
- 2 cups vegan mayonnaise (I use Hellmann's brand, but others work fine)
- 4 Tbsp dill & garlic ranch seasonings (I use Mingle's available here in Australia)
- 3 to 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Hot Wing Sauce
- 1 whole bottle of hot chili sauce (I use Billy B's Fermented Hot Sauce, but others work too)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
Cauliflower Florets & Tofu
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, then cut in bite-size halves, rinse and pat-dry
- 1 package extra firm tofu, press to remove liquid, pat-dry, and cut into bite-size cubes
Instructions:
Whisk together all ingredients for the Ranch Dip and put in refrigerator to keep cold.
In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients for your Hot Wing Sauce and bring to a light simmer. Then remove from heat, set aside and let cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all tempura ingredients. Make sure that your club soda is COLD.
Feel free to add any additional spices to your batter, such as dill, chili powder, cayenne, etc. When it's mixed, your batter should have the same consistency as pancake batter.
In a deep skillet or dutch oven, pour in enough oil to reach a level of 1 1/2 inches deep to cover the veggies. Heat oil to between 340 and 360 degrees F. When it's ready, turn heat down to medium.
Begin dipping the cauliflower and tofu cubes into your batter and then into the hot oil. Cook until they are golden brown.
Remove cooked cauliflower and tofu with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack so that they don't become soggy.
Cook the cauliflower and tofu in batches of 6, so that you don't crowd them, and they can cook evenly.
When all cauliflower and tofu is cooked, toss the cauliflower with the hot wing sauce and serve immediately with the cool ranch dip on the side.
Toss the tofu nibblers with a bit of salt, and serve.
Notes:
1. As a dipping sauce for your fried tofu, try Cindy's Teriyaki Sauce recipe found here.
2. As an alternative to using prepared ranch seasoning, try Cindy's Vegan Ranch Dressing recipe found here.
3. Feel free to add more veggies to your tempura, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini and green beans!
Bon Appétit!
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