Well, Halloween is just around the corner and the shops are full of pumpkins. Personally, I think pumpkin is such a delicious vegetable, it's too good to only eat at Halloween. Here's a recipe for some vegetarian tempura including pumpkin (or kabocha as it is called in japan) along with shiso leaves, carrot and aubergine.
The keys to this recipe are:
A/. cut the vegetables thin to get crisp tempura and,
B/. get the temperature of the oil right and keep it there (check by dropping in a little bit of batter - if it rises bubbling to the surface, the oil is hot enough to start.
C/. don't crowd out the oil with too many pieces of tempura at one time and,
D/. remember that the shiso leaves will be ready in under a minute but the thicker veg will take longer.
That apart, vegetable tempura is easy to prepare and makes for a very healthy lunch or dinner. Take a look at some of my other recipes to get ideas about combining this tempura with some other dishes for a real Japanese feast! You can find the written recipe by clicking Vegetable Tempura and the Youtube video tutorial by clicking Vegetable Tempura.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.