Name: Tempura vegetables
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup tempura flour; 200 millilitre cold water; 1/2 cup grated parmesan; 2 cup winter vegetables, cut into pieces (i used halved mushrooms, kumara slices, wide thin carrot slices and florets of broccoli and cauliflower); 2 litre canola oil; 4 red cabbage leaf, to serve; light soy sauce, to serve

Tempura vegetables

We live in an age where there has never been more interest in food and cooking and yet many children have no idea where the food they eat comes from. We have a huge problem with childhood obesity and yet many children lack essential nutrients. Writer Michael Pollan’s mantra ‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants’ rings true, but we have no hope of achieving this unless we allow children to be part of the ‘farm to fork’ journey

Ingredients

1 cup tempura flour

200 millilitre cold water

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 cup winter vegetables, cut into pieces (i used halved mushrooms, kumara slices, wide thin carrot slices and florets of broccoli and cauliflower)

2 litre canola oil

4 red cabbage leaf, to serve

light soy sauce, to serve

Method

1.Whisk flour, water, parmesan and some salt and pepper to form a smooth batter. Add vegetables and stir to combine.

2.Heat oil in a large frying pan, adding a piece of potato peel. When peel is ‘dancing’ or sizzling on the surface, the oil is hot enough to add the vegetables.

3.Add half the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes, before removing to a paper towel-lined plate to keep warm in the oven while you cook the last batch.

4.Serve at once in a cabbage leaf ‘bowl’. A small bowl of light soy sauce can be used as a dipping sauce.

Visit a farmers’ market or roadside stall (a great way for children to get a feel for what is in season and see vegetables ‘in the raw’). Visit pick-your-own berry and stone-fruit farms in summer. Grow herbs and salad leaves in pots. Give children a few dollars each time you visit the supermarket and ask them to select a new or interesting fruit or vegetable. Search out weird-looking veges and fruit – they never cease to amaze children Buy your child a small serrated Victorinox knife and get them involved in food prep. If you’re eating out, try a variety of ethnic restaurants as many have delicious vegetable-based dishes. Model the behaviour you want to see. If your children see you enjoying a wide variety of vegetables, they will too. If children are reluctant to drink water, present it in an interesting glass or small bottle, adding a straw, ice and a slice of fruit or edible flowers or herbs.
Note

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Ingredients

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