Today we made dandelion tempura, something I had wanted to do for ages but never got around to, until today. The oldest picked a mess of dandelions and I made a thin tempura batter, like so:
Heat oil in a large, deep pot, maybe 1.5 to 2 inches. I heated mine on the setting one less than 'high'.
Whisk 3/4 cup cold water, 2 Tbsp sake, and 1 egg, until frothy and completely mixed.
Whisk in 1 cup of white flour and a pinch of salt. The batter should be thin and watery, if it isn't, add more water.
Dip the dandelions in the batter, which makes them soggy, and toss in the oil, which makes them 'bloom' again! I think it works better if you pick your dandelions directly before eating, so they don't get a chance to wilt. Ours were slightly wilted and some of them didn't do the 'opening up' effect as much.
Fry with turning/stirring until golden, and then scoop out and put on a paper towel to cool. Crisp on the outside, and fun and sweet on the inside! It was my first time deep-frying anything, and the kids loved the first couple of blossoms, but quickly saturated and said it was very greasy food. I guess they're not used to that, but once in a while, this will continue to stay in our repertoire.
Tomorrow, you can read about knotweed pie, which we had for dessert. What a wild dinner we had!
When I started reading this I said a big 'WHAT?!' out loud. This looks so fun! I would have never thought about this in a million years. Knotweed pie though... I've had, but I would like to see how you've done it. This is the perfect time of year to pick those pesky knotweeds before they become all tough. Too bad you can eat pie everyday all day and still not make a dent in those invasive guys.
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