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I got addicted to deep frying since I started making batter at home. 

A lot of other batter recipes won’t need a beer, but being in the UK, it just feels more authentic to use beer, as they do with the beer-battered fish in fish and chips. The beer is the key to a fluffy yet light and crispy batter. 

The type of beer you use in the batter also makes a big difference. The original recipe I found is using lager, Chinese Tsingtao. But the best batter I made was with this Dutch lager Bavaria.

I use this batter for fish, and deep-fried chicken balls (Chinese takeaway style), and most of the time, I use it for vegetable tempura, for example, aubergine and sweet potatoes. I’ve also used this batter for onion rings a million times. Absolutely love it!

The batter

200g self-raising flour
100ml warm water
200ml beer (lager works well)
1 tbsp oil

Method

Add self-raising flour in a large bowl, add oil and warm water. 

Pour in the beer and whisk until smooth

You can put the leftover batter in the fridge and use the next day, or maybe on the day after, but the bubbles in the beer will be mostly gone, so the batter will be thinner and won’t be as fluffy as the first day.

I use this batter for tempura a lot, mostly using aubergine and sweet potatoes, sometimes sweet pepper, and onion rings!

Making vegetable tempura

Cut the aubergine or sweet potatoes into slices, or if making onion rings, cut the onion into rings.

Dredge each slice in the flour and shake off the excess

Dip each slice in the batter, allow excess to drip back into the bowl

Deep fry for a few minutes until golden

Note: Aubergine absorbs a lot of oil when deep frying. I always put them on a kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil before serving.

What’s your favourite food to dip in the batter? Share with me in the comments below!