Fuki no to no tempura / Japanese butterbur bud tempura

One of the most common ways to enjoy fuki no to. Leaving out the egg, a typical tempura batter ingredient, delivers the clean, straightforward taste of these early spring buds.

<Ingredients>

Handful fuki no to Japanese butterbur buds (8 buds in photo)

For tempura batter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp potato starch
2 tbsp water

Oil (for deep-frying; not in photo)
Salt (for serving with tempura; not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Mix flour, potato starch and water.
Make sure to use cold water.

2.

Remove discolored sepals, wash, dry, and remove discolored stem ends; cut stem ends of large fuki no to lengthwise.
Immediately put in batter and coat (especially the cut surface).

3.

Heat oil.
When fine bubbles come up from tips of chopsticks immersed in oil, the oil is ready. It should be around 170-180 C (340-360 F).

Quietly put each fuki no to in oil. Raise heat somewhat.

Remove fuki no to, starting with the first or smallest piece you have added, while immersing one end in oil for a few seconds (to draw out oil from fuki no to and return it to pot), and place on paper towel on plate.

Each fuki no to takes only 10-20 seconds to cook.

4.

Serve hot with salt.

<Notes>

• In order to get crisp and light results, tempura batter should not be gooey. Mix ingredients for batter only lightly. Flour or starch does not have to be completely incorporated. Ice cold water is another key. Adding potato starch also prevents batter from becoming doughy.
• Sesame oil is not added for this recipe because the flavor would be overpowering.
• Cutting stem ends of larger fuki no to lengthwise helps to reduce the bitterness.
• Salt is recommended rather than tentsuyu tempura dipping sauce to maximize the buds’ taste.
• If you make a large amount, work in several batches when deep-frying. Controlling oil temperature is another key to light tempura.