Panko-Fried Vegetables
Updated May 21, 2025

- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, corn) for deep-frying
- 1½cups cake flour, plus more for dredging
- Salt and black pepper
- 2cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 2pounds assorted vegetables (like okra pods, baby zucchini, baby purple carrots, lotus root, asparagus, grape tomatoes, kabocha squash, Romanesco broccoli or cauliflower and onions), trimmed and sliced as needed.
Preparation
- Step 1
Put at least 2 inches oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat; bring to 350 degrees (or use an electric deep-fryer). Combine the flour with 2 cups cold water; the mixture should have the consistency of thin pancake batter.
- Step 2
Powder the panko by forcing it through a strainer with a spatula or pulverizing it in a blender or food processor. Dredge the vegetables first in flour, then in the tempura batter and finally in the powdered panko. Fry the vegetables in the hot oil, working in batches and turning each piece as necessary, until crisp and brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Private Notes
Comments
What is a good dipping sauce for this dish?
there are two vegan sauce recipes in the original magazine article: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/magazine/recipe-vegan-worcestershire-sauce.html
It seems the flour measurements are incorrect? Instructions state combine the flour with the water, which makes the tempura batter. Later, the instructions state to dredge the vegetables in the flour, then the tempura batter and then the bread crumbs. How much of the flour listed is for dredging versus using to make the batter?
I served it with ketchup and some hot sauce. Made for a really good snack.