Friendships forged in a deep fryer

Nearly a whole year since I last updated this blog...truly unbelievable. Well for those of you who don't know, I've relocated to Ann Arbor and am working as a postdoc in the Chemistry department at the University of Michigan. I've been blessed to work in a lab with three other amazing postdocs: Lori, Malathy, and Will. Lori hosted a monthly potluck at her place which came to be known as "Lori's Food Club." Needless to say, sharing a passion for food and deep frying (we made fish and chips for the Superbowl) we bonded rather quickly. Lori and her husband John just moved to California for a job. Before their departure, they deposited 5 boxes of assorted kitchen goodies at my place. Two of these boxes were entirely full of oils, spices, and sauces. So it seemed a fitting tribute to Lori and John to whip up some vegetable tempura and put those sauces to use. Besides red peppers, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms you could also try using green beans, scallions, eggplant, asparagus, chicken or shrimp.

Tempura

Do not omit the vodka; it is critical for a crisp coating. For safety, use a Dutch oven with a capacity of at least 7 quarts. Be sure to begin mixing the batter when the oil reaches 385 degrees (the final temperature should reach 400 degrees). It is important to maintain a high oil temperature throughout cooking. The temperature will drop once you add your food so after the first batch of frying check the temperature again and adjust stovetop accordingly. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces (I like soy sauce, garlic chili paste, sweet chili sauce) and rice.

Serves 3-5 people

Ingredients

3 quarts vegetable or canola oil

2-3 pounds vegetables (see above)

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 large egg

1 cup (average priced) vodka

1 cup seltzer water

Kosher salt

Dipping sauces

White Rice

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top then place lined sheet w/ rack in oven.

Prepare vegetables by slicing peppers into 1/4 in thick strips, zucchini and onions into 1/4 in thick rounds, and halving (or quartering very large) mushrooms. Lay out on paper towel to remove any moisture.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. In large, heavy Dutch oven fitted with clip-on candy thermometer, heat oil over high heat to 385 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes. Alternatively, monitor occasionally with an instant read thermometer.

Whisk flour and cornstarch together in large bowl. Whisk egg and vodka together in second large bowl. Whisk seltzer water into egg mixture.

When oil reaches 385 degrees, pour liquid mixture into bowl with flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined (it is OK if small lumps remain). Submerge 6-10 vegetable pieces in batter. Using tongs, remove vegetables from batter 1 at a time, allowing excess batter to drip off, and carefully place in oil (temperature should now be at 400 degrees). Fry, stirring with chopstick or slotted spoon to prevent sticking, until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to rack in oven to keep warm.

Return oil to 400 degrees, about 2-4 minutes, and repeat with another batch of vegetables. Once all vegetables are cooked, arrange on a platter with rice.