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Three-cornered Leeks Tempura

Three-cornered Leeks Tempura is a modern British recipe for a classic snack (or accompaniment) of three-cornered leek flowers dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Three-cornered Leeks Tempura.

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

25 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Wild FoodBritish Recipes

It was late-ish April and we were having duck as the main meal, but I wanted to serve something different as an accompaniment. So I went for a stroll down the lane. It was the smell that first attracted me; a strong and distinct whiff of garlic. Then I saw the carpet of white flowers that look a little like bleached bluebells. Of course, they were Allium triuetrum a wild member of the garlic/onion family that was introduced to the UK during the 18th Century. So it’s an introduced and an invasive species. All parts of the plant are edible and it makes me feel a bit virtuous in that by pulling them up by the roots I’m helping control them.

The plant, though stinky, is really beautiful and the flowers are edible. So, I thought that by turning them into tempura I could serve them in place of broccoli… and they were lovely.

Ingredients:

Three-cornered leeks, stems and flowers

For the Tempura batter:
1 egg, gently whisked
120g (1 cup) plain flour
250ml (1 cup) ice-cold water

Method:

Heat about 2cm (1 in) depth of oil in a wok.

Whisk all the tempura batter ingredients together until it forms a nice sticky batter.

Wash the three-cornered leeks, shake the water off and then dip them in plain flour to help the batter stick better.

Dip them in the batter and then quickly fry them in the pan until both sides are golden brown.

Serve as an accompaniment, alternatively serve as a starter or snack with a soy sauce and honey dip.