Vol. 5
Agebitashi (Deep-fried Summer Vegetables in Dashi Broth)
夏野菜の揚げびたしの作り方

　There are several ways to cook an ‘ohitashi’. A common recipe is to boil the vegetables and dip them in dashi broth. There are also, ‘nibitashi’ where the ingredients are simmered in a pot and lastly ‘agebitashi’ where the ingredients are deep fried..

　The taste of agebitashi is enriched with the flavor of oil added to the dashi which makes it easy to eat even in the hot summer days. This is a recommended recipe to make when welcoming guests as it’s simple to cook and the taste stays delicious even on the following day.

- Summer vegetables: Appropriate amount of vegetables such as eggplants, okras, zucchinis, green peppers, and pumpkins.
- Dashi Broth: Proportion of 8 to 1 to 1 of dashi, light soy sauce, mirin. Appropriate amount that is enough to soak the vegetables.

1. How to cut the summer vegetables

　This time, we will use okras, eggplants, Amanaga green peppers, pumpkins, zucchinis, and asparagus. Cut the vegetables into pieces of preferable sizes.

　If you are frying Amanaga green peppers, sweet green peppers, or okras in whole, make sure to make a lengthwise cut on the skin side as shown on the picture below. Otherwise the vegetables may burst and the oil could spatter while frying them. Watch out!

　Prepare the dashi broth first and then fry the vegetables, as we need to dip the fried vegetables in the dashi broth while it is hot. Also, drain the vegetables well before frying them.

2. How to make the Agebitashi

　Heat a sufficient amount of oil at around 170 degrees Celsius. The vegetables are fried directly without any coating. The method of frying is rather difficult, but you can refer to the picture below and watch for the bubbles arising from the vegetables to see when it is ready.

　When the vegetables are deeply fried, dip them in the dashi broth while it is hot. The best time to serve is after 6 hours up until the next day. It’s even tastier when refrigerated.

（レシピ・写真： 冨田唯介　英訳： 中西 直）

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