I love this cooking forum! Years ago, I saved a tempura batter recipe that Garden Guru posted and set it aside.

Last night, I pulled that recipe out and made this with some green beans I picked from my garden:

I normally don't fry or use my deep fryer in the house, as I don't like the smell it leaves afterwards, but boy was this worth it! Ruby Tuesday's makes a tempura green beans appetizer that hubby and I just love, and this was spot on!

I made a dipping sauce that was a little thinner, less sweet, and a little spicy compared to what RT makes and it was wonderful.

Tempura Batter
Recipe source: Garden Guru

1 cup flour*

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup club soda (as cold as possible)

Oil for deep frying

Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add Soda water gradually, stirring with a fork, first to create a paste and then until mixture is like a thick pancake batter. More than 1 cup of club soda may be needed to achieve this consistency.

Heat oil for frying to 375°-400°. Dip prepared veggies/meats in batter, coating completely. Shake off excess. Fry vegetables/meats, a few pieces at a time, until light brown and crispy. Do not crowd fryer, or oil temperature will drop. No more than will cover 3/4 of the surface of the oil.

For the green beans, I fried mine for approximately 3-5 minutes a batch and turned them over with metal tongs halfway through.

Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Note: Some people like to use 2 parts flour to 1 part rice flour. I used all flour and it was wonderful!

Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tsps sugar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions

1 tsp chili paste (optional)

Heat soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, and oil in a microwave safe dish until hot enough to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a small dipping bowl and add scallions and chili paste, if desired.

I also posted this recipe on my blog if you'd like to take a look!