Tempura
These crispy Korean-style deep-fried vegetable fritters, known as Yachae-twigim, are a delightful, golden-brown snack traditionally enjoyed alongside spicy rice cakes. Featuring a vibrant mix of sweet potato, pumpkin, onion, and carrot julienned and coated in a light, airy batter, they offer a perfect, non-greasy crunch. They are a beautiful and highly appetising way to transform simple, seasonal refrigerator vegetables into a crowd-pleasing, guilt-free treat.
Cuisines
Cooking Instructions
Cooking: 15 minutes
Notes:
The batter should remain relatively thin; a heavy, thick batter often results in a less crispy and more bread-like texture, which is not the desired outcome for these fritters.
Maintain a frying temperature between 150°C and 160°C; you can test this by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil—it should sink for two seconds before rising to the surface.
This recipe is highly customisable; feel free to include any seasonal vegetables you have on hand, adjusting the quantities to balance the flavours and colours.
After frying, place the fritters on a sieve or cooling rack rather than directly on paper towels to allow excess oil to drain without making the bottom of the fritters soggy.
Prepare Vegetables
Peel and julienne the sweet potato, carrot, and half of the pumpkin into uniform strips, cutting the remaining pumpkin into horseshoe-shaped pieces for variety.
Prepare Batter
Whisk the Korean fried vegetable mix with ice-cold sparkling water until you achieve a smooth, light consistency.
Combine
In a large bowl, toss the julienned vegetables together, ensuring the onion strips are separated, then gently mix with the prepared batter until evenly coated.
Fry
Heat the frying oil to between 150°C and 160°C, then carefully spoon portions of the vegetable mixture into the hot oil, frying until golden brown and crispy.
Drain and Serve
Remove the fritters from the oil, drain on a sieve to maintain crispness, and repeat the process with the remaining horseshoe-shaped pumpkin pieces, then serve immediately.
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Ingredients
| Sweet Potato | 1 |
| Pumpkin | ½ |
| Onion | 1 |
| Carrot | ½ |
| Korean Fried Vegetable Mix | 200 g |
| Sparkling Water | 200 ml |
