Tempura eggplant with honey and spices

The secret to perfect tempura? Cold, bubbly magic comes in the form of chilled sparkling water, which adds carbonation to the tempura batter. As chef Matias Cilloniz shows in this recipe, it creates light, airy bubbles that crisp up fast during the deep-frying process! Take care not to over-mix the batter too – a few lumps are, surprisingly, better than none.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 270 g eggplant, cut 15 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm batons
• 30 g honey
• Basil leaves, coriander leaves, mint leaves, to serve

For the spice mix 

• 30 g fennel seeds
• 40 g coriander seeds
• 24 g cumin seeds
• 20 g black pepper
• 7 g chilli flakes
• 2 g whole cloves

For the tempura batter

• 250 g tempura flour, plus 100 g extra for dusting
• 700 g chilled sparkling water

For the dipping sauce

• 1 garlic clove, bruised
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) fish sauce
• ½ lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. To make the dipping sauce, add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside until required.
2. Heat the ingredients for the spice mix in a dry medium frying pan until fragrant. Transfer to a spice blender or a small food processor, then blitz until coarse (not to a powder).
3. To make the tempura batter, combine the tempura flour in a large bowl with just enough sparkling water to form a batter – do not overmix.
4. In a large saucepan, heat enough oil to deep-fry to 175˚C. In a second large bowl, toss the eggplant with the extra tempura flour until lightly coated. Dip each piece into the prepared tempura batter, letting any excess batter drip off, then deep-fry until crisp.
5. Transfer to a paper-towel lined tray and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a medium bowl and drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the spices. Toss well to combine, then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with the mixed herbs and dipping sauce.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.