Tempura courgettes with ponzu dipping sauce
- Published: 6 Jun 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Crispy tempura-battered courgettes are served with a citrusy ponzu dipping sauce to cut through the richness of the batter – a wonderful snack or nibble.
Our black sesame tempura asparagus with miso mayonnaise makes another fine crispy treat.
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Ingredients
- 2 litres vegetable oil for deep frying
- 150g pack Blue Dragon Tempura Batter Mix (from larger supermarkets or from amazon.co.uk)
- ½-1 tsp red pepper flakes (from the world food aisle of supermarkets; see tips)
- 225ml chilled sparkling water
- 3 medium courgettes, cut into 1.5cm thick chunks
- 200g baby courgettes, quartered lengthways
For the ponzu dipping sauce
- 1 anchovy fillet in oil, crushed to a paste
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp yuzu juice (from the world food aisle of large supermarkets or online from amazon.co.uk; see tips)
- 1 tbsp tamari (or regular light soy sauce)
- Squeeze lime juice, plus wedges to serve
Useful to have…
- Digital probe thermometer
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Method
- Mix the dipping sauce ingredients (except the lime juice/wedges) in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a large, deep, heavy-based pan until it reaches 180°C when tested with a digital probe thermometer (or a cube of bread turns golden in 30-40 seconds). Line a baking tray with kitchen paper.
- Put the batter mix in a large bowl and season with the pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the sparkling water, whisking to combine.
- Working in 3 batches, toss the courgettes in the batter, stirring to coat. Carefully add the courgettes to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until the batter is puffed, crisp and golden. Use a frying basket or slotted spoon to lift out the courgette pieces and lay on the lined tray to drain. Squeeze over a little lime juice and serve with the dipping sauce and wedges for squeezing.
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- Recipe from June 2018 Issue
Nutrition
Nutrition: per serving
- Calories
- 218kcals
- Fat
- 11.6g (0.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 3.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 24.3g (4.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1g
- Salt
- 0.4g
delicious. tips
If you can’t find yuzu juice, use fresh ruby grapefruit juice instead and substitute the red pepper flakes with a pinch of chilli flakes.
A delicate, lime-fresh white chimes in with the ponzu sauce. Try a New Zealand riesling.
Buy ingredients online
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