Crispy Chaeso Twigim (Deep-Fried Vegetables) with Sweet Potato

Ingredients

• You can also use potato, perilla leaves, or scallions.
• The egg yolk is just to give it a pretty color, so you can omit it, or add gardenia powder or kabocha squash powder instead to add color.

Steps

1. 
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   1. Julienne the sweet potato, carrot, squash, and onion all to about 0.3 cm thickness.

   You can also use potato, perilla leaves, or scallions.

   2. Soak the julienned sweet potato in water to prevent browning and remove excess starch...

3. 
4. 

   3. Drain off the water...

   4. Place everything into a bowl. Add 3 tbsp of frying mix and toss evenly.

5. 
6. 

   5. In a bowl, pour the frying mix, egg yolk, and water with ice, and tap the bottom with chopsticks to mix lightly; it is fine if some dry flour is still visible, so just mix it roughly to make the batter.

   The egg yolk is just to give it a pretty color, so you can omit it,

   or add gardenia powder or kabocha squash powder to give it color.

   If the batter is thick, it absorbs a lot of oil and turns soggy, so the batter must be thin and runny.

   It should feel like it drips right off when you drop it.

   6. Fry them at a standard frying temperature (170–180°C).

   If the temperature is too low and they sit in the oil too long, the fried vegetables turn soggy and will not be crispy.

   The way to create frying flakes is to coat your fingers with batter and drip it over the frying vegetables; tiny crispy bits will form and stick to the vegetables, creating blooming flakes just like at a Japanese restaurant.

   Tips for making crispy fried food...

   * For the batter, using cold water with ice or cold beer is good, and in my experience, ice water seems even better.

   * Do not stir it for a long time, even if you see flour lumps.

   Just like making cookies and pastries where kneading weak flour dough too long develops gluten and makes it tough rather than crispy.

   * Do not make the batter ahead of time; make it at the very end and fry right away.

   * Mixing frying mix and potato starch in a ratio of about 5:1 also helps make it crispy.

   Reading the oil temperature with batter

   1. Drop batter into the oil; if it sinks to the bottom and hardly floats up... below 150°C.

   2. If it sinks to the bottom first and then slowly floats up... 150–160°C.

   3. If it sinks halfway down and quickly floats up... 170–180°C.

   4. If it scatters across the oil surface... above 180°C.

Ppunwife's tips

• For the batter, using cold water with ice or cold beer is good, and in my experience, ice water seems even better.
• Do not stir it for a long time, even if you see flour lumps. Just like making cookies and pastries where kneading weak flour dough too long develops gluten and makes it tough rather than crispy.
• Do not make the batter ahead of time; make it at the very end and fry right away.
• Mixing frying mix and potato starch in a ratio of about 5:1 also helps make it crispy.
• Reading oil temperature with batter: if you drop batter into the oil and it sinks to the bottom and hardly floats up, it is below 150°C; if it sinks to the bottom first and then slowly floats up, it is 150–160°C; if it sinks halfway down and quickly floats up, it is 170–180°C; if it scatters across the surface of the oil, it is above 180°C.
• Fried food should be eaten right away to enjoy peak crispiness.

FAQ

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