Prep TIme: 20 minutes Cook TIme: 10 minutes
Fried food is my weakness. I plucked some dandelion blossoms from my lawn and gave this tempura a go. The raw flowers are bitter but cooked they are complex and addictive! For light and crispy tempura, it is imperative to keep the batter as cold as possible.
TEMPURA INGREDIENTS
1 cup dandelion blossoms
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2-3/4 cup cold sparkling water
an ice cube for the batter
YUZU DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 lime juice, or more to taste
PREPARATION
To fry the dandelion: Add oil to a Dutch oven or deep fryer to a depth of one inch. Heat to 375˚F.
To a shallow bowl, add salt and flour; whisk to combine.
Thoroughly dry washed dandelions and toss in flour mixture. Remove dandelions from flour and set aside.
Whisk in just enough chilled sparkling water to form a thin batter. Add the ice cube.
Working in batches, dredge dandelion in the batter, squeeze off any excess, and carefully lower flowers into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, remove dandelions from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately with the yuzu dipping sauce.
I also experimented with frying sprigs of mint, baby Douglas Fir tips, and clusters of wild garlic flowers. A mix of tempura’d goodies is an amazing appetizer, and in only 20 minutes!
