We love dandelions, and this time of year, they are plentiful. We pick them to make Dandelion Pesto and Dandelion Fritters, and I’m currently brewing my first batch of dandelion wine too. But our favourite thing to do with dandelions is to tempura them, or as my children call it ‘Dandelion Popcorn’ – little balls of fried dandelions.
A few things to note about about picking dandelions:
- Pick dandelions in full sun, so that they are wide open. In the morning and evening they will be closed.
- Cook them as soon as you can. They begin closing up as soon as they are picked, so getting them in batter quickly is preferred.
- There are little black bugs that live in dandelions, so make sure you rinse them and leave them a little while to give the bugs chance to escape.
Some tips on tempura batter:
- Different recipes call for different ingredients, obviously, but the important thing is making sure your water is as cold as possible.
- I think it works best with sparkling water, but normal water works well too – so long as it’s cold.
- Once you start dipping the dandelion heads work quickly. It’s worth having the batter in two bowls so that you can dip a batch, and have the other bowl in the freezer, then swap the bowls over before you start dipping again. The colder the batter, the less oil the dandelion takes on.
You will need:
- 85g of plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 200ml icy cold sparkling water
Wash the dandelions and leave set aside to drive so as to keep the fried batter crispy.
Add the flour, salt and sugar to a bowl.
Pour in the sparkling water and mix till just combined. If you over mix you push out all the air bubbles, but you also increase the gluten content, so don’t over mix.
(In the Thermomix®, add all the ingredients and mix 20 seconds speed 4).
Split the batter between two bowls, and leave them in the freezer or fridge.
Heat the oil. Take a bowl from the freezer. Hold the dandelion by the green part, and dip it lightly in the batter, making sure to cover everything. Drop the dandelion into the hot oil and fry for 1 – 2 minutes, till a golden brown.
Remove to a bowl with absorbent towel or draining board and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Alternatively with icing sugar and lemon juice.
Enjoy while still warm and fresh.