Reply #5: I make it with beer

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Batter:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 12 ounce can of cold beer (can substitute ice cold water)

Mix the dry ingredients together, then the wet ingredients together, then incorporate the too. Don't over mix! It should be like thick pancake batter. Add a little more flour if it seems too thin.

Keep the batter bowl in a larger bowl of ice, or put back in the fridge while frying. It is vital that the batter be kept as cold as possible to help prevent it from soaking up too much oil while frying.

Cut up an assortment of vegetables. The other night I used baby bell peppers cut into rings, parboiled potato slices, mushrooms, daikon spears, thin carrot spears and slices of shallots. You can use about anything reasonably dry (ie., no cukes). You can also use thin chicken strips or shrimp.

Pat the vegetables in flour one at at time, dip into batter to coat and fry in 350F oil until light golden brown.

Drain well.

Serve with a dipping sauce of roughly 3 parts soy sauce, 2 parts mirin or sake and a 1 part rice vinegar.

Eat.