For this recipe, I wanted to pay homage to a restaurant I worked at for many years, and was one of my favorite places to dine in Calgary, Divino Wine and Cheese Bistro. Unfortunately, Divino closed its doors a few years back and one of the snacks I miss the most from their menu is the tempura green beans with grainy mustard aioli.
These beans are easy to make at home and the perfect snack for sharing with friends.
Specialty equipment:
Deep fryer
Yield: serves 2–4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15–20 minutes
Green Beans
½ lb green beans
1 cup tempura flour
¾ cup cold soda water
Grainy Mustard Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tsp honey
1 tsp white vinegar
Salt
Pepper
For the beans
Wash the green beans, trim, and discard the stem end. Set the beans aside.
Add the tempura flour to a mixing bowl.
Pour in the soda water and whisk to combine.
Place the mixing bowl of batter over another bowl filled with ice water. The batter should be quite cold before frying.
For the aioli
Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl to combine.
Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Finishing the plate
Preheat a deep fryer to 350°F.
Mix the green beans with the tempura batter.
Carefully drop the beans directly into the fryer. Do this in batches to prevent the fryer from cooling which would result in the bean becoming greasy.
Cook the beans for 2–3 minutes, until they start to lightly brown.
Remove the beans from the fryer and onto a tray lined with a paper towel to catch the access oil.
Season with salt and serve the tempura beans with the grainy mustard aioli for dipping.
©chefalisonbiebs