Tempura

I love green beans -- I even eat them raw, but I like cooked better. On page 28 of the cookbook is a recipe for tempura string beans that caught my eye. The batter is very simple and I've been wanting to try my hand at frying food. I'm currently collecting ideas and recipes for fried chicken to include in my first Gram's Cooking School mystery (IF FRIED CHICKEN COULD FLY) that will publish some time next year, but I have never fried anything. Considering the title of the book, that could be a problem.

It turned out to be pretty simple except that I need to learn how to better keep the oil at a consistent temperature.

The tempura beans were tasty, and I found that the thicker the batter, the better. I did wish, however, that I'd prepped and tried some other vegetables. Hey, the oil was ready; why not?



Another part of the recipe was a dipping sauce called Aioli. Never heard of it, but it's a mayo/mustard/garlic dip that is really yummy. The tempura beans and this dip would make perfect appetizers.



Aioli is part of a number of recipes in the book. I'll probably try in a few of those in the next week or so.

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http://radicleroot.blogspot.com/2010/07/contest.html