Air-Fryer Vegetable Tempura Fritters

Tempura fritters — fritto misto with a Japanese accent — are the mixed-vegetable batter cakes that turn whatever's in the fridge into something crisp and craveable. Carrot, sweetcorn, courgette, sliced spring onions, all julienned or shredded, bound with a light tempura batter (cold soda water, flour, an egg), scooped into mounds and air-fried until the edges go lace-crisp.

The trick is the batter. Real tempura uses ice-cold soda water and minimal mixing — it should look lumpy, not smooth. Overworked batter develops gluten and goes bread-like. Cold + lumpy = crisp.

The vegetables here are all naturally sweet — carrot, corn, courgette — which balance the salty soy dipping sauce. You can add other things: fresh peas, sliced mushrooms, finely chopped kale, halved cherry tomatoes (these last need to be very dry).

The photo shows them piled on a long white plate: irregular mounds of golden-brown fritters with visible orange carrot, yellow corn, and green courgette strands sticking out at the edges, a bowl of honey-coloured dipping sauce in the back.