Tempura courgettes with ponzu dipping sauce

  • Portion size: Serves 4-6
  • Hands on time 20 min
  • Difficulty: easy

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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Nutrition

  • 218kcals Calories
  • 11.6g (0.9g saturated) Fat
  • 3.6g Protein
  • 24.3g (4.2g sugars) Carbs
  • 1g Fibre
  • 0.4g Salt

Quick wins & 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.

To Drink

A delicate, lime-fresh white chimes in with the ponzu sauce. Try a New Zealand riesling.

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