our courgette's flowers before and after
Welcome September! I’m pleased that autumn is on its way. My favourite season. However, this summer has also been great to me. It made me realise that how much I enjoy being out in the garden. Courgettes in our small vegetable patch seems doing well. Today I picked a few flowers and decided to have a go with tempura (Japanese deep fried cooking) for a snack.
Just in case anyone interested in trying at home, here is my ‘rough’ recipe. I don’t usually measure amount properly and guess by eyes & taste when cooking. So bear in mind that...
to make tempura butter : mix plain flower with cold water. then add an egg and a pinch of salt
to make tempura sauce : first make stock using dry fish or seaweeds. (If using dry seaweeds like combu, soak them in water overnight.) heat the stock soup, then add light soya sauce and mirin. (If you haven’t got mirin, you can try sake and sugar) I like adding cilli powder to this, but this is entirely up to your taste.
Ingredients can be bought at China town or even some supermarkets. Before deep frying courgette flowers, make sure you take the pistils off and wash. It’s that simple. Eat with the heated sauce as soon as it’s fried. Taste? Yummy! xm
ITADAKIMASU! (bon appetite!)
P.S.
I’ve just created “Japanese version” of my blog. Except my sweet mother who reads with a dictionary one by one (oh bless!), I guess it’s much easier for people in Japan. Feel free to have a peek by clicking this flag image on the right. (sorry if it appears gibberish on your screen) xm
I love tempura and love Japanese food. When I lived in London I used to regularly go to Japanese restaurants but since I moved back to South West I no longer have access to any Japanese restaurants :( Will have to try and cook something from my recipe books I've got but I'm a terrible cook so it might take some serious practicing to come up with something decent :)
ReplyDeleteI've just looked at your Japanese blog version - what beautiful patterns the lettering makes...much prettier than English!
ReplyDeleteYour tempura courgettes look delicious!
Ahhh this looks so delicious! And I just signed up to follow your Japanese blog. I am SO impressed that you did the English one first. I must get round to making a Japanese version of mine!
ReplyDeleteLoving your blog banner too
Beth (Besu!)
Maki this looks so delicious - did you make the plate and bowl etc? They look gorgeous too :o)
ReplyDeleteYum!!!! It's been a long time since I made this dish! I'm hungry now!! Lovely!!
ReplyDeleteHave a sweet weekend dear!
xxxx
I am pleased that some of you still can see Japanese writings ok on your screen. Beth, thank you so much for being a generous follower of that site!
ReplyDeleteHello, Kate. Yes, that plate is my handmade. Jug is a charity shop found, a little fish deco bowl is from china town and wood chopsticks are handmade by my fellow woodworkshop guy (you know who!) xm
I did not realize you could eat the flowers! Thanks for sharing the recipe and the beautiful photos!
ReplyDeletePS - We call this plant "zucchini" in American English. The British English translation of the word used to confuse the heck out of me in Italian menus translated into English. I mean, it said "zucchine" right there in Italian, what in the world was a courgette? One of my early learnings that British English and American English are not the same!
How funny, Kat. Because we leanrt this to be called zucchini too in Japan. English I had leanrt in Japan was all American, so I had to study British English all over again. How confusing! xm
ReplyDeleteoh thank you so much I love tempura! :)
ReplyDeleteAmelia.x
I love that you are doing a Japanese version of your blog as well. I studied Japanese a little in college, but nothing stuck. I can recognize hirugana and katagana, but can't even remember the sounds they stand for! Still, it is a beautiful language written.
ReplyDelete