Tempura is one of the dishes I recommend when I go to a Japanese restaurant with someone who has never had any Japanese food.
Battered and deep-fried?
Who wouldn’t like that?!
Well, I usually don’t order tempura at restaurants myself (I usually go for Sushi), but I do like good tempura at home.
There are so many vegetables that are delicious when made into tempura.
This leafy vegetable is not on everyone’s favorite tempura list only because not a lot of people use it to make tempura (although they should!).
People usually use it for hotpot.
I do like it in hotpot, but it’s also delicious in salad.
This was my first time (I believe) using it to make tempura, but I’m glad I did.
At the Asian grocery store where I buy these call them “Tongo”, but we call it “Shungiku” in Japan.
It’s literally translated into “spring chrysanthemum”, so I believe it is a seasonal vegetable.
It has nice unique bitterness that I love.
Don’t throw away the stalks.
They are a bit hard, but that’s where it is the most flavorful.
By the way zucchini is another one good when mad into tempura.
