Tempura for the whole family

Ok, I have to 'fess up, I've not tried my son with this yet but I have absolutely no doubt that he will LOVE tempura.  He loves spice, his favourite foods are prawns and mushrooms.  What's not to like?

That said, this isn't the healthiest, it is deep fried but most kids do need calories so that's not necessarily a disaster.  It can also be a great way to get reluctant vegetable eaters to give them a go.  You don't have to go with the dips I've suggested, perhaps if your kids aren't into all that spice you could mix some sweet chilli sauce with ketchup?

Anyway, here is the recipe.  A word of warning, make this when you have another responsible adult in the house.  This is absolutely not the thing to make with a toddler clinging onto your ankles!  Frying can be very dangerous.  Never leave it unattended.

Tempura - serves 2 adults easily

Ingredients

Approx 10 Large Raw Prawns (exclude if preferring a vegetarian option), defrosted if frozen
Vegetables of your choice, I used 5 mushrooms sliced thickly and 4 broccoli florets in thick slices

Batter:
60g, 2oz plain flour
60g, 2oz cornflour
150ml, 5.5 fl oz soda water or sparkling water from a new, cold bottle

Vegetable oil for frying

Salad or rice to serve

Soy dip:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp white wine or rice vinegar
2 tsp water
1/2 clove of finely minced or grated garlic

or Sweet chilli sauce

Method

Weigh out the flours into a bowl.

Prepare the vegetables by slicing into thick slices.

Prepare the prawns by cutting down the back and removing the intestine (this is often referred to as a 'vein').  This makes the prawns butterfly as they cook but also makes them taste better.

When you're ready to cook, heat up a couple of inches (5cm or so) of oil in a saucepan or a deep fat fryer until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.  Have a warm plate lined with kitchen roll ready.

As close to cooking as possible, pour the soda water onto the flours and mix.  You don't have to mix it completely, little lumps of flour are fine.  Now, you do need to work quickly.

Dip each piece of vegetable or prawn into the batter and fry for 1-2 minutes or until the batter is starting to colour slightly and they are cooked through and crisp.  Put on the kitchen roll to drain as you cook the rest.

Serve with either the soy dipping sauce (just mix the sauce ingredients together) or sweet chilli sauce with rice or salad.