Fritters, Tempura and Crisps
Cooking Skills: Vegetables 2
Chapter 5 · Fritters, Tempura and Crisps
Skill goal
Fry and bake vegetables to crisp, golden results, safely, with the right batter and oil temperature.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Frying turns vegetables crisp and golden, but it is also the part of cooking where most accidents happen. This chapter teaches batters and frying so the result is light and crisp, not heavy and greasy, and so you stay safe doing it. It builds on the hot-oil rules in Cooking Skills: Vegetables 1, chapter 4.
Shallow or deep?
| Shallow frying | Deep frying | |
|---|---|---|
| Oil | 1 to 2 cm in a frying pan | Enough to float the food: at least 5 cm deep, in a pan no more than a third full |
| Good for | Fritters, patties, flat things | Bhajis, tempura, anything that should float and cook all round |
| Risk | Spitting, burns | Much higher: oil fires and scalds |
| Equipment | Heavy frying pan | Deep heavy pan with a thermometer, or a thermostat-controlled fryer |
Getting the oil right
- About 180°C is a typical frying temperature for fritters and tempura (a cooking guideline). Use a thermometer if you have one.
- The bread test: drop in a small cube of bread. It should turn golden in 15 to 30 seconds. If it browns in 5 seconds the oil is too hot; if it just sits and bubbles gently, it is too cool.
- Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point (vegetable, rapeseed, sunflower, groundnut), not olive oil.
- Fry in small batches. Cold food drops the temperature, and a crowded pan makes soggy, oily food.
- Drain on paper or a rack and eat while crisp.
- Cool used oil completely before filtering it into a bottle. Don't pour it down the sink: put it in a sealed container in the bin or take it to a recycling point.
Batters
| Batter | Texture | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Thick (fritters, bhajis) | A dense coating that holds ingredients together | Squeeze out water from wet vegetables first |
| Tempura | Thin, lacy, crisp | Ice-cold water, mixed for seconds, lumps left in |
| Beer-style or fizzy-water batter | Light and puffy | Fizzy water traps bubbles; mix at the last moment |
Why cold? Cold batter doesn't develop as much gluten, so it stays crisp instead of chewy, and it holds together longer in the hot oil.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Courgette and sweetcorn fritters
Fritters are the gentlest introduction: shallow frying in a little oil, with no deep pan. Courgettes are very watery, so squeezing them dry is the key step.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1 medium courgette, grated
- 100 g sweetcorn (tinned, drained, or frozen and thawed)
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp chopped herbs (mint, parsley)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil, for shallow frying
- Mix the grated courgette with a pinch of salt and leave it for 5 minutes. Squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Mix the courgette with the sweetcorn, spring onion, herbs, egg, flour, pepper and a little more salt to make a thick batter that holds together on a spoon.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick or heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter and flatten slightly. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes a side until golden and cooked through.
- Drain on kitchen paper. Eat hot, with yoghurt or a squeeze of lemon.
Hot oil and colour
Frying safety: never leave hot oil unattended, and never fill a pan more than one third full of oil. Use a heavy, deep pan or a thermostat-controlled fryer, not a chip pan. Dry the food well, because water makes hot oil spit. If the oil smokes, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. If it catches fire, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid or damp cloth, and leave it to cool: never use water and never carry the pan. Don't use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil, because its force can spread the fire. Get out and call 999 if you can't control it. Keep children and pets away from the cooker.Go for gold. Frying starchy vegetables at high temperature forms acrylamide. The Food Standards Agency's advice is to cook them to a golden yellow, not dark brown.
Level 2 · Deep frying
Onion bhajis
The classic. Salting the onions draws out liquid so the batter doesn't need much water. This is real deep frying, so read the safety box first.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 100 g gram (chickpea) flour
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
- 1 handful chopped coriander
- ½ tsp salt
- 60 ml cold water, about
- 500 ml oil, for frying (a third of the pan at most)
- Mix the onions with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Add the flour, spices, chilli and coriander and mix with your hands. Add the water a little at a time until a thick, sticky batter coats the onions.
- Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pan, no more than a third full, to about 180°C (a cube of bread should turn golden in 15 to 30 seconds).
- Carefully lower in spoonfuls of mixture, 4 or 5 at a time, so the oil temperature doesn't drop. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper, and check that one is cooked in the middle before serving the batch.
Deep frying
Frying safety: never leave hot oil unattended, and never fill a pan more than one third full of oil. Use a heavy, deep pan or a thermostat-controlled fryer, not a chip pan. Dry the food well, because water makes hot oil spit. If the oil smokes, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. If it catches fire, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid or damp cloth, and leave it to cool: never use water and never carry the pan. Don't use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil, because its force can spread the fire. Get out and call 999 if you can't control it. Keep children and pets away from the cooker.Go for gold. Frying starchy vegetables at high temperature forms acrylamide. The Food Standards Agency's advice is to cook them to a golden yellow, not dark brown.
Level 3 · Batter
Vegetable tempura
Tempura batter is thin and lumpy, kept ice-cold, and mixed at the last moment. Overmixing develops gluten and makes it chewy.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 100 g plain flour (plus a little for dusting)
- 100 g cornflour
- 200 ml ice-cold sparkling or still water
- 1 courgette, in sticks
- 1 pepper, in strips
- 100 g mushrooms or broccoli florets
- 1 sweet potato, sliced 3 mm thin
- 500 ml oil, for frying (a third of the pan at most)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, to dip
- 1 tsp lime juice, to dip
- Prepare and dry the vegetables thoroughly, and dust them lightly with flour. Heat the oil to about 180°C, as in the safety box.
- Just before frying, stir the flour and cornflour into the ice-cold water with chopsticks or a fork, for a few seconds only. Leave it lumpy.
- Dip a few pieces at a time into the batter, let the excess drip off, and lower into the oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until pale golden and crisp. Don't crowd the pan.
- Drain on a rack or kitchen paper and serve straight away with the soy and lime dip.
Deep frying and allergens
Frying safety: never leave hot oil unattended, and never fill a pan more than one third full of oil. Use a heavy, deep pan or a thermostat-controlled fryer, not a chip pan. Dry the food well, because water makes hot oil spit. If the oil smokes, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. If it catches fire, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid or damp cloth, and leave it to cool: never use water and never carry the pan. Don't use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil, because its force can spread the fire. Get out and call 999 if you can't control it. Keep children and pets away from the cooker.Allergens: batters usually contain wheat flour (gluten), and fritters often contain egg. Gram (chickpea) flour is gluten-free but is a pulse. Check labels if anyone you cook for has an allergy.
Level 2 · Baked
Kale and beetroot crisps (baked)
No deep frying: thin slices and leaves dry and crisp in a low oven. Set it to 150°C (130°C fan). Wear gloves for beetroot, which stains.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 100 g curly kale, stalks removed, torn
- 2 medium beetroots, peeled, sliced 2 mm thin
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Toss it with half the oil and a pinch of salt and spread on a tray in one layer.
- Slice the beetroot as thin as you can (a mandolin with the guard on is best). Toss with the rest of the oil and spread in a single layer on a second tray.
- Bake the kale for 10 to 15 minutes and the beetroot for 25 to 35 minutes, turning once, until crisp. Watch them near the end, because they go from crisp to burnt quickly.
- Cool on the tray for a few minutes to crisp up, and eat the same day.
Mandolin and colour
Mandolin: always use the guard or a cut-resistant glove.Go for gold. Frying starchy vegetables at high temperature forms acrylamide. The Food Standards Agency's advice is to cook them to a golden yellow, not dark brown.
Experiments
Experiment
Batter rest time
Fry now, or rest.
- Make a double batch of the fritter mix. Fry half straight away. Rest the other half for 20 minutes before frying.
Look for: The rested batter is a little thicker and holds together better; the fresh one is lighter. Note which you prefer.
Experiment
Cold or room-temperature batter
Tempura.
- Make two small batches of tempura batter, one with ice-cold water and one with water at room temperature. Fry the same vegetables.
Look for: The cold batter gives a lighter, crisper coating. The room-temperature one is heavier and chewier.
Experiment
Oil temperature
Too cool and about right.
- Fry two bhajis in oil at a low heat (bread test slow to brown) and two at the right temperature.
Look for: The cool-oil ones soak up oil and are pale and greasy; the right-temperature ones are crisp and golden. Never try the too-hot oil: it is a fire risk.
Experiment
Batch size
A crowded pan.
- Fry 3 bhajis at a time, then 8 at a time. Watch how the oil behaves, and compare the results.
Look for: Large batches drop the temperature, so the bhajis cook slowly and soak up oil. Fry fewer at a time.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courgette and sweetcorn fritters | ||||
| Onion bhajis | ||||
| Vegetable tempura | ||||
| Kale and beetroot crisps | ||||
| Batter rest time | ||||
| Cold vs room-temperature batter | ||||
| Oil temperature | ||||
| Batch size |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Greasy, heavy food | Oil too cool, or a crowded pan | Heat the oil properly; fry in smaller batches |
| Soggy fritters | Too much water in the vegetables | Salt, squeeze and dry them before mixing |
| Batter falls off | Wet vegetables, or batter too thin | Pat vegetables dry; dust with flour first |
| Raw inside, burnt outside | Oil too hot or pieces too thick | Lower the heat; cut thinner |
| Chewy tempura | Overmixed or warm batter | Mix for seconds, keep it ice cold |
| Soft crisps | Slices too thick or oven too cool | Slice thinner; bake longer at a low heat |
Hot oil, allergens and leftovers
Frying safety: never leave hot oil unattended, and never fill a pan more than one third full of oil. Use a heavy, deep pan or a thermostat-controlled fryer, not a chip pan. Dry the food well, because water makes hot oil spit. If the oil smokes, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. If it catches fire, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid or damp cloth, and leave it to cool: never use water and never carry the pan. Don't use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil, because its force can spread the fire. Get out and call 999 if you can't control it. Keep children and pets away from the cooker.Allergens: batters usually contain wheat flour (gluten), and fritters often contain egg. Gram (chickpea) flour is gluten-free but is a pulse. Check labels if anyone you cook for has an allergy.
Leftovers: cool cooked vegetables quickly (within 1 to 2 hours), keep them covered in the fridge, and eat within 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I know the difference between shallow and deep frying and the safety rules for each.
- I can test the oil temperature with a bread cube.
- I can make thick and thin batters and squeeze water from vegetables.
- I fry in small batches and drain well.
- I can bake crisps without frying.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Vegetables 2, chapter 6 is Pickling and Fermenting: brines, vinegar pickles and a first ferment.