FLOWER POT KITCHEN: TEMPURA PRAWNS AND AUBERGINE WITH A WASABI SESAME SOY DIPPING SAUCE

21 Sept 2012

TEMPURA PRAWNS AND AUBERGINE WITH A WASABI SESAME SOY DIPPING SAUCE

GORGEOUS CRISPY TEMPURA WITH A FABULOUS DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch samphire

10 fresh raw prawns shell on

1 aubergine sliced in half moons

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

3 tbsp of light soy sauce

3 drops of sesame oil

1/2 tsp brown rice vinegar

1 pea size of wasabi paste

1 small red chilli sliced

FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER

100g cornflour

150g plain flour

10g baking powder

50ml-100ml iced soda water or beer

2ltr oil for frying

THE DIPPING SAUCE

In a small dipping bowl place the wasabi paste in the centre, pour in the soy sauce and brown rice vinegar, using a chop stick swirl the wasabi around once in a figure of eight. Add the sesame oil and then sprinkle the sliced chilli on top. What is really nice about this dip is that the toasted sesame oil clings to the dipped tempura after it has been dipped in the wasabi soy.

THE PRAWNS AND AUBERGINE

First peel the shells of the body only of the prawns leaving the end of the tail on and the head for presentation and extra flavour if you like to suck the prawn heads. Slice the aubergine in half and then into half inch thick slices, season well with salt and be ready to use immediately.

TO MAKE THE TEMPURA BATTER

Mix the cornflour, plain flour and baking powder together, start with pouring in 50ml of the iced soda or beer and slightly mix with chopsticks, you don't want to mix to well as pockets of dry flour are what puff out while frying and create the classic tempura, you are looking for a medium thin batter, so add more iced soda or beer if needed.

Heat the oil to 200 degrees, dip the aubergine in the tempura batter and fry for a couple of minutes, drain on kitchen paper, then repeat for the prawns, serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.