Sweet and sour tempura vegetable medley

By: Kristy Wright

Tempura battered vegetable ingredients: * 125g Obento tempura batter mix * 180ml chilled water * 150g frozen lotus root slices, defrosted * 1/2 head broccoli bite sized florets * 1 carrot sliced * Oil for deep frying
Sauce ingredients: * 4 tbsp mirin * 2 tbsp sugar * 2 tbsp soy sauce * 3 tbsp black vinegar * 1 tbsp white vinegar * 1 tsp cornstarch
Stir fry vegetable ingredients:* 2 tbsp oil * 1 small Red capsicum cut to bite sized pieces * 1/2 Red onion * 1/2 head broccoli bite sized florets * 1 carrot sliced * Handful of green beans * 1/2 cup pineapple pieces * 4 stalks Spring onion * 3 Birds Eye Chilli * Half cup cashew nuts

To make the tempura battered veggies:Mix dry batter mix with chilled water. Pat dry the lotus root. Heat saucepan with oil (about 1 inch high) on medium heat until approx 175C. Dip lotus root slices in the batter and drain enough that the holes aren’t filled with batter. Drop in oil and cook in batches until golden. Remove from oil and drain excess oil. Batter half of the broccoli and carrot slices and drop in the oil to cook in batches until golden cooked through (approx 3min). Remove from oil and drain excess oil.
To make the sauce: Mix the mirin, sugar and soy in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add black and white vinegar to a cup and mix cornstarch before adding to the saucepan, stirring until it just starts to thicken. Set aside.
To make the stir fry:Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok on high heat. Stir fry the remaining broccoli, carrot and chilli for a minute then add the beans, capsicum and red onion and stir fry briefly in the wok. Move veggies to the side and add the sauce mixture cooking and stirring until sauce becomes thicker. Quickly add the tempura battered veggies (lotus roots, broccoli and carrot), pineapple pieces, spring onion and cashew. Mix everything together to coat all ingredients with the sauce. Serve with cooked white rice.