Batter-Fried Vegetables

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

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Nearly any vegetable can be battered and fried, with terrific results. Hard vegetables should be thinly sliced, ¼ inch thick or less; tender ones, like zucchini and eggplant, can be cut thicker, up to ½ inch. Green beans, snow peas, and small mushrooms and okra pods can be left whole.

The best way to serve batter-fried vegetables is the moment the morsels come out of the oil and are drained. But if you want to serve them as part of a sit-down meal, keep them warm for a few minutes in a 200°F oven (ideally on a rack). I love this with Garlic Mayonnaise (page 671) or just a squirt of lemon juice.

• Good-quality vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup beer or sparkling water
• 1½ pounds vegetables of your choice (all of one type or a combination), cut into pieces (see headnote; depending on how they are cut, you should have 2–4 cups vegetables)
• Coarse salt

1. Put at least 2 inches oil in a deep pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high; bring to 350°F (see “Deep-Frying,” page 26).
2. Mix together 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, salt, some pepper, the egg, and beer in a medium bowl until just combined. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter. It’s okay to leave some lumps; you don’t want to overmix.
3. Dredge each vegetable piece lightly in the remaining 1 cup flour. Working in batches, dip in the batter to coat, and add to the oil. Do not crowd the vegetables. Cook, turning once if needed, until golden all over, just a few minutes. Drain on a rack or paper towels, sprinkle with coarse salt, and Serve immediately.

Pakora-Style Fried Vegetables For the batter, use ¼ cup chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, or cornmeal; omit the baking powder and egg, and replace the beer with ¾ to 1 cup water. Add a pinch cayenne if you like and salt and pepper to taste. The batter should be thin. Use chickpea flour or all-purpose flour for dredging. Serve with any chutney (pages 668 to 670). V

Tempura Fried Vegetables For the batter, omit the baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix together 1½ cups rice flour or all-purpose flour, 3 egg yolks, and 2 cups ice-cold water (this is really important for the lightest, crispest coating; get the water super-cold with ice cubes); the batter should be thin. Use rice flour or all-purpose flour for the dredging. These are best enjoyed as soon as they come out of the hot oil. Serve this and the Vegan Tempura below with any of the dipping sauces on pages 653 to 659.

Vegan Tempura Sparkling water adds airiness to this two-ingredient batter: Follow the preceding variation, omitting the egg yolks and substituting very cold sparkling water for the ice water. V