Ingredients:
Serves 4 for dinner or 6-8 for a starter
1 pint of fresh okra washed and left whole
1 large sweet onion or 1015 onion peeled and cut into thick rings
1 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 chicken breast pounded to about 3/4 thickness
2 cups flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 can beer such as Shiner Bach
3/4 can of seltzer water
2 tsp of salt plus more for after frying
peanut oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
juice of half a lemon
Instructions:
Prep the veggies as indicated above. Heat oil (about 1 1/2 or 2 inches deep) over medium in a cast iron or enamel casserole. In a large bowl mix flour, cornstarch, salt and mix in beer and seltzer. The consistency is much like a pancake batter. Dip your veggies in the batter letting the excess drip off before putting it in the hot oil. Your oil should be about 350 degrees, you will start to smell the oil when it is ready and should test it will a pitch of flour. (If it sizzles, its ready to go!) Working in batches fry some of each veggies until the crust puffs up and turns golden, saving the chicken to cook last. Meanwhile, make your dipping sauce in a small bowl by adding soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Stir. Drain your tempura on a brown paper sack or paper towels making sure to add pinches of salt to each hot batch that comes out of the fryer. Bon appetite, ya'll!
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