• 2 portobello mushroom, sliced and cleaned
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 6 tbl cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • oil to fry in

i somehow managed to lay down for a half an hour today…how i did that i am still not sure. i woke up from my power nap and i must have had a dream about a bar i used to go to when i was (much) younger, teddy’s.  they used to serve this portobello tempura for apps. so what happened, i woke up craving portobello tempura. want to hear something weird? j turned to me and asked for tofu from the restaurant, which means tempura. one day the sushi place we frequent made it for him. i think i have mentioned before he loves tofu. i got up, got my recipe book and went to work.

when i got married my friends and family put together a little recipe book for me. my mother-in-law (i hate calling her that) gave me a recipe for this chicken dish that was similar to tempura, but better. it’s basically egg, water, and cornstarch. the dipping sauce however, i did some quick research. a couple substitutions and an addition and i did it. yum.

this was my dinner tonight. sometimes this just happens…i craved something fried, i craved something with portobellos. hope you love it as much as we did. we manged to finish up a whole block of tofu, 2 portobellos, about 20 baby corn, and a handful of peas.

portobello tempura with a mirin dipping sauce

note: my mother adds scallions and garlic to the mix, i do not. only because i will soon hear, “mom, what is that green stuff, i don’t like the green stuff”. i leave it out, feel free to add it, mince up 2 scallions and throw it in along with 3 cloves of garlic. you can use this mixture to cook anything, chicken or shrimp, we sliced up some tofu, baby corn, and sugar snap peas. the kids loved it. 

  1. in a bowl, whisk eggs, water, cornstarch, and salt.
  2. add your mushrooms, or whatever you are cooking with it, and coat with mixture. i use my hands, it’s much easier and although messy, you won’t break up the veg and it’s pretty easy to place it directly in the oil to fry.
  3. fry, about 3-5 minutes on each side and lay out on a paper towel. don’t expect the veg to be brown, it wont be, it will be a off white, tannish color.
  4. plate with sauce (below) and serve

mirin dipping sauce

you can find mirin at any grocery. i found it in the aisle with all the international foods, right near the soy sauce. see to the left, i just wanted to show you my favorite soy substitute. it has less salt then soy sauce and it tastes better. i use it not only for dishes that ask for soy sauce but also on salads. they sell it in a spray bottle and i just spray my lettuce 2-3 times.  not only do they sell this soy substitute, but they sell all kinds of vinegars too. my all time favorite is their apple cider vinegar. it is so good and a staple in my pantry.

  • 1 cup soup stock (i used chicken, you can use veg)
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbl sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  1. measure and add all your ingredients to a small pot and bring to a low simmer. cook for about 2-3 minutes. take off the heat and set aside to you are ready to use.

this really hit the spot tonight, would be great to serve for apps if your having company. of course while i was making it i was thinking of all the additions i can add to the tempura mixture. maybe some lemon zest…a touch of lemon juice? some hot sauce? you never know…and what about the dipping sauce? if you add lemon juice maybe something like a chipotle yogurt dip? i don’t know…it’s a work in progress, i guess the only words to leave you with would be…to be continued :-)

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