Vegetable Tempura Roll Recipe

Vegetable Tempura Roll square pic on a white sushi platter.

Vegetable Tempura Roll Recipe

Vegetable Tempura Roll Recipe with Step-by-Step Instructions

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Tempura, Vegetable Tempura

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 45

Servings: People

Calories: 684kcal

Equipment

1 Mixing bowl
1 Sifter
1 Measuring cup
1 Chopstick for mixing
1 Whisk for mixing

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

1 1/3 Cups Sushi Rice dried, will cook to 4 cups
1/4 Cup Sushi Vinegar

Tempura Batter

2 cups All purpose flour
1 Egg Large
1 cup Water Ice cold

Sushi Roll

1 Sweet potato
1 Bundle Asparagus
1 Egg plant
Vegetable oil
4 Nori Sheets

Instructions

Heat the oil

Heat enough vegetable oil to completely submerge the vegetables on medium heat. The oil should be heated to 350 degrees.

Cook the Sushi Rice

Rinse 1 1/3 cups of sushi rice by placing it in a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups of water. Check your sushi rice package to see the exact amount of water to be added as it can vary from depending on the brand you use.
Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
Remove the rice and place it into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
Mix 1/4 cup of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!

Assemble the Ingredients and Cut the Vegetables

Cut the ends off of the asparagus stalks and discard.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into thin strips that are as long as the nori sheet is wide.
Cut the eggplant into thin slices and cut the slices in half so they will better fit into the sushi roll.
Once cut, dredge the vegetables in flour, and place on plate until needed. This helps the tempura batter to better stick to the vegetables.

Make Tempura Batter

Assemble the ingredients and chill the water. You may need to add ice if you don't have access to very cold water. However, make sure to remove the ice cubes before combining with egg. I usually strain the ice cubes out of the water as I add to the egg.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat until the yolk and white are combined.
Add cold water to the egg and mix well.
Sift one cup of flour into the egg and water mixture.
Lightly mix the flour into batter, making sure not to over stir. The batter should be combined but a little lumpy.

Coat the Vegetables into Batter and Cook in Oil

Each of the vegetables have different cooking times so make sure you cook each type separately.
Add the sweet potato strips to the batter and toss until coated. Then add to the hot oil and cook for three minutes.
After three minutes, remove from oil and add to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the oil.
Add the asparagus to the batter and toss until coated. Then add to the hot oil and cook for two minutes.
After two minutes, remove from oil and add to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the oil.
Add the eggplant slices to the batter and toss until coated. Then add to the hot oil and cook for one and a half minutes.
After a minute and a half, remove from oil and add to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the oil.

Assemble the Sushi Roll

Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around a cup of sushi rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer. Tip: Combine a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar and use to wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
Gently flip the nori sheet over so the rice is facing down. You will add the filling directly to the nori sheet with the rice on the outside.
Add the vegetable tempura to the nori sheet. I usually add one to two sweet potato strips, two to four stalks of asparagus, and two halves of the eggplant tempura depending on the size of the vegetables and how well everything fits.
Use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it’s completely enclosed. Once the rice is making contact with the nori sheet, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn’t get caught in the roll. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together. Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then I cut each half in half followed by cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
Serve with tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu). You can also serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.

Video

Notes

You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. I prefer to use an entire nori sheet when preparing vegetable tempura rolls as I like to load it with fillings. This does make the rolls thicker and may be more difficult to eat with chopsticks.

You can make your rolls thinner by using 3/4 or half of the nori sheet. However, you would need to adjust your fillings accordingly.

Nutrition