Monkfish and vegetable tempura with sweet and sour honey dressing

Tempura batter
500g rice flour
50g corn flour
10g bicarbonate of soda
1l of sparkling water

Fish and vegetables
1 red pepper, cut into roughly 12 pieces
1 green pepper, cut into roughly 12 pieces
1 onion sliced into even sized pieces
Bunch of flat leafed parsley
Monk fish cut into even bite sized pieces (120g per adult)
1 pan of vegetable oil for deep frying

 

Method

• Put all the dry ingredients for the batter into a bowl.  Slowly add the sparkling water and mixing with a whisk until the mixture is of a coating consistency.  (Remember you can always add more water it’s more difficult to take it out)
• Pop the chopped vegetables, fish and the parsley into the batter and allow them to rest in the batter for a couple of minutes while you make the dressing.
• Heat the oil for deep frying, test the oil to make sure it’s hot enough.  Slip a piece of vegetable into the oil.  If the oil sizzles it is hot enough to cook in.
• Cook the vegetables in batches; remove them from the oil when they become a golden brown colour.
• Put onto a plate with kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil.

Dressing
½ jar of honey
500ml of cider vinegar reduced by two thirds
2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
½ deseeded chilli, finely chopped

Method
Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Salad
1 papaya
1 cucumber
Some water melon
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet cooking saki)
1 desert spoon soya sauce

Method
Finely slice the papaya, the cucumber and water melon.  Put in a salad bowl and drizzle a little mirin and the soya sauce over the salad.  Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.

To serve
Put the tempura vegetables and fish on to a plate and drizzle with the honey and black pepper dressing and serve the dressed salad on the side.