Name: Tempura courgettes with ponzu dipping sauce
Ingredients: 2 litres vegetable oil for deep frying; 150g pack Blue Dragon Tempura Batter Mix (from larger supermarkets or from amazon.co.uk ); ½-1 tsp red pepper flakes (from the world food aisle of supermarkets; see tips); 225ml chilled sparkling water; 3 medium courgettes, cut into 1.5cm thick chunks; 200g baby courgettes, quartered lengthways; 1 anchovy fillet in oil, crushed to a paste; 2 tbsp mirin; 1 tbsp yuzu juice (from the world food aisle of large supermarkets or online from amazon.co.uk ; see tips); 1 tbsp tamari (or regular light soy sauce); Squeeze lime juice, plus wedges to serve; Digital probe thermometer

Method

Mix the dipping sauce ingredients (except the lime juice/wedges) in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a large, deep, heavy-based pan until it reaches 180°C when tested with a digital probe thermometer (or a cube of bread turns golden in 30-40 seconds). Line a baking tray with kitchen paper.

Put the batter mix in a large bowl and season with the pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the sparkling water, whisking to combine.

Working in 3 batches, toss the courgettes in the batter, stirring to coat. Carefully add the courgettes to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until the batter is puffed, crisp and golden. Use a frying basket or slotted spoon to lift out the courgette pieces and lay on the lined tray to drain. Squeeze over a little lime juice and serve with the dipping sauce and wedges for squeezing.

If you can’t find yuzu juice, use fresh ruby grapefruit juice instead and substitute the red pepper flakes with a pinch of chilli flakes.