By Angela Stephens
Gannett News Service

Fried food is not exactly good for you, especially foods that have been deep-fried in oil. Somehow, though, deep-fried doesn't seem as sinful if it's made with vegetables and you call it something exotic, such as tempura.

I have had tempura in Japanese restaurants. It's a wonderfully delicate, crunchy batter encasing an interesting array of vegetables and then quickly deep-fried in oil.

Luckily, tempura is an amazingly easy thing to prepare at home. It does require using hot oil, which is a messy prospect, but well worth it. You easily can cook the oil stove-top in a Dutch oven or use an electric deep-fryer.

The only real "specialty tool" you will need is a thermometer. Oil that is too hot will burn the batter, leaving the vegetables raw inside. Oil that's not hot enough will cook the food too slowly, allowing more oil to be absorbed into the batter and vegetables.

A simple homemade batter can be prepared, but an equally good tempura batter mix is widely available in most markets in the Asian food aisle for about $2.

The next consideration is vegetable choice. Those containing a low water content work better and don't break down the oil so quickly, which causes a lot of spattering.

We found four veggies that worked really well: sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini and onions. Chinese pea pods worked OK, just be sure to pull off the string on them.

Mushrooms have a higher water content and seemed a little squishy inside. You also could try thinly sliced white or purple potatoes, eggplant and carrot. Extra-firm tofu, once it has been pressed dry as much as possible, could be tasty, as well. I would cook the tofu last because of the water content.

Another hint: Don't go overboard. While one zucchini and one sweet potato do not seem like a lot, once they are sliced, there is quite a bit to not only batter and cook, but also to eat.

Vegetarian Tempura

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Accent seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

2/3 cup very cold water

1 small sweet potato

1 large sweet onion

1 zucchini

2 cups broccoli florets

Vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, Accent and salt together in a small bowl. Add egg and cold water and combine thoroughly. Set batter aside.

Peel potato and slice it and the zucchini into thin slices. Peel and slice onion into thick rings and prepare broccoli florets. Set vegetables aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat several inches (about five) of oil to 350 degrees. Test with a thermometer. When oil reaches 350 degrees, adjust heat to maintain the temperature without becoming too hot or too cold.

Working in small batches, so as not to crowd the pan, dip vegetables in the batter and carefully drop into hot oil. Cook until batter turns light golden brown on all sides. Vegetables will cook rather quickly. Carefully remove cooked vegetables with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined dish. Repeat process until all vegetables are cooked.

Serve immediately with purchased Asian dipping sauces. Makes about 4 servings.