Original: English

Deep-Fried Summer Vegetables

by 料理研究家ゆかりのおうちで簡単レシピ / Yukari's Kitchen

Enjoy this deep-fried summer vegetable dish, perfect for combating summer fatigue and swelling. It's a super side dish that's easy to make with minimal oil and absorbs flavor quickly. It's also delicious served cold, making it a great make-ahead recipe, so please give it a try!

Steps

Push the stems of the 3 bell peppers inward, cut them in half, and remove the seeds and stems. Then, cut into 2-3 bite-sized pieces.
🕒 01:31
Cut off the ends of the 1 zucchini and slice it into 8mm-1cm thick pieces.
🕒 02:02
Remove the core from the 100g pumpkin and slice it into 5mm-8mm thick pieces.
🕒 02:15
Cut off the ends of the 2 eggplants and cut them in half. Place them cut-side down and make shallow cuts on the skin surface. Then, cut into bite-sized pieces.
🕒 02:37
Core the 1 tomato and make shallow cross-shaped cuts on the surface.
🕒 03:11
Add about 5mm of Vegetable Oil to the bottom of a frying pan and heat over medium heat for about 1.5 minutes. A sign of proper temperature is when small bubbles appear from the tip of chopsticks.
🕒 03:36
Add the pumpkin to the frying pan and deep-fry until cooked through. Fry for about 50 seconds per side, then flip. It's ready when a skewer can be inserted easily.
🕒 04:00
Reheat the frying pan over medium heat and fry the zucchini. Fry for about 1 minute per side, then flip. Remove when lightly golden brown.
🕒 04:48
Reheat the frying pan over medium heat and fry the eggplant skin-side down. Fry for about 1 minute per side, then flip and fry for another 1 minute, then remove. 【The Key!} Starting by frying the skin-side down prevents the skin from losing its color.
🕒 05:39
Reheat the frying pan over medium heat and fry the bell peppers skin-side down. Fry for about 30 seconds per side, then flip and fry for another 30 seconds, then remove. 【The Key!} Bell peppers tend to splatter oil, so be careful, and a quick fry is sufficient.
🕒 06:30
Transfer the fried vegetables to a rack or plate to drain the excess oil.
🕒 07:03
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the tomato with the cuts, and blanch it for about 10-15 seconds while rotating it. When the skin cracks, immediately plunge it into ice water and cool for about 1 minute. 【The Key!} Over-blanching will cause the tomato to break apart, so remove it quickly.
🕒 07:11
Peel the skin off the cooled tomato, cut off the core, and slice into bite-sized pieces.
🕒 08:04
Arrange the fried zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, bell pepper, and blanched tomato in a storage container.
🕒 08:26
Cut the 1 chili pepper in half, remove the seeds, and slice into rounds.
🕒 08:59
Add 300ml Water, 3 tbsp Soy Sauce, 3 tbsp Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine), 2 tsp Sugar, and 1 tsp Dashi granules to a pot, stir, and heat over medium heat. Once boiling, simmer for about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, add the sliced chili pepper, and stir briefly.
🕒 09:15
Pour the hot dipping sauce over the vegetables. Cover with parchment paper to ensure everything is submerged. Once cooled to room temperature, let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 【The Key!} Pouring the hot dipping sauce allows the flavors to penetrate deeply.
🕒 09:54
Remove from the refrigerator, take off the parchment paper, and serve. Enjoy!
🕒 10:29