Tempura Green Beans with Two Dipping Sauces

Tempura Green Beans like these were one of our favorite appetizers at P.F. Chang’s in Florida. We enjoyed them so much that I just had to recreate them at home. I'm happy to say the result turned out really well! They're more filling than you might expect, so if you're serving them as an appetizer, keep that in mind and avoid making the portions too large.

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You will need

Dipping Sauce 1:

1½ packets (0,26 oz or 7 ½ g) dashi powder

1 cube mushroom bouillon

1¼ cups (300 ml) water

2 tbsp (30 ml) Japanese soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) mirin

2 tsp (10 ml) granulated sugar

1 tsp (5 ml) La-Yu (Japanese chili oil)

1¼ oz (35 g) fresh ginger, finely grated

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce 2:

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) mayonnaise (Hellmann's or homemade)

1 tbsp (15 ml) water

1 tbsp (15 ml) ketchup

3 tbsp (45 ml) melted butter

1½ tsp (7 ½ ml) rice vinegar

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) garlic powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) onion powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) paprika

1 tbsp (15 ml) Sriracha sauce

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

1½ tsp (7 ½ ml) honey

Salt, to taste

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Tempura Batter:

1⅔ cups (400 ml) cold sparkling water

1 large egg

7 oz (200 g) all-purpose flour + extra for dusting

2 oz (60 g) cornstarch

1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) salt

¼ tsp (1 ¼ ml) white pepper

1.1 lb (500 g) haricots verts (French green beans), rinsed, trimmed, and thoroughly dried

Neutral oil, for deep-frying

Flaky sea salt

How to make it

Dipping Sauce 1:

1. Combine the dashi powder, mushroom bouillon cube, water, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and La-Yu oil in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the bouillon dissolves. Remove from the heat just before the mixture comes to a boil and let it cool.

1½ packets (0,26 oz or 7 ½ g) dashi powder

1 cube mushroom bouillon

1¼ cups (300 ml) water

2 tbsp (30 ml) Japanese soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) mirin

2 tsp (10 ml) granulated sugar

1 tsp (5 ml) La-Yu (Japanese chili oil)

2.  Once cooled, stir in the grated ginger and sliced green onions.

1¼ oz (35 g) fresh ginger, finely grated

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce 2:

3.  In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) mayonnaise (Hellmann's or homemade)

1 tbsp (15 ml) water

1 tbsp (15 ml) ketchup

3 tbsp (45 ml) melted butter

1½ tsp (7 ½ ml) rice vinegar

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) garlic powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) onion powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) paprika

1 tbsp (15 ml) Sriracha sauce

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

1½ tsp (7 ½ ml) honey

Salt, to taste

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Tempura batter and beans:

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the cold sparkling water and egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and white pepper. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the water and egg mixture until combined. Chill the batter until ready to use.

1⅔ cups (400 ml) cold sparkling water

1 large egg

7 oz (200 g) all-purpose flour

2 oz (60 g) cornstarch

1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder

½ tsp (2 ½ ml) salt

¼ tsp (1 ¼ ml) white pepper

5. Lightly dust the green beans with flour and shake off any excess.

All-purpose flour for dusting

6.  Heat the frying oil to 350°F (180°C). Dip the green beans into the batter, allowing any excess to drip off, then carefully fry them in batches until crisp and golden brown. Transfer the tempura to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and immediately season with flaky sea salt.

1.1 lb (500 g) haricots verts (French green beans), rinsed, trimmed, and thoroughly dried

Neutral oil, for deep-frying

Flaky sea salt

7. Arrange the tempura green beans on a serving platter and serve immediately with both dipping sauces.

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