Article by Gil "hannaone"
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Image by hannaone: Twiggim

야채튀김

Street food/drinking snack.

YachaeTwigim is popular in Korea. It is assorted cut or sliced vegetables in a tempura like coating that are deep fried until crisp.
Common vegetables used include carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. The batter is made with flour, water, and sometimes rice flour for added crispiness.

YachaeTwigim is often served with a dipping sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. It can also be sprinkled with a seasoning mix of salt and pepper or spicy gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes).

This snack is commonly found in street food stalls or pojangmachas (small tented food carts) throughout South Korea. It is also a popular drinking snack at bars and pubs.

The crispy texture of the batter combined with the soft and flavorful vegetables makes YachaeTwigim a delicious and addicting snack. It is also a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet while enjoying a tasty treat. 

During my time in Korea during the late 1970s and 80s, street vendors offered a wide selection of twigim dishes for a mere few hundred won. These delicacies consisted of ingredients such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, green onions, shredded carrots, zucchini, and other vegetables, often all fried together for a flavorful blend.

Seafood and meat versions were also available, but the vegetable mix was my favorite.

Servings: 15
Recipe Type: Appetizer, Ban Chan, Korean, Recipe, Snack, Street Food, Vegetable

Ingredients

1 large carrot
1 zucchini
1 fresh red chili pepper
2 bunches enoki mushrooms, separated
4 green onions
1 medium potato
1 medium sweet potato
6 cloves fresh garlic
vegetable oil for deep frying

Batter
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup corn or potato starch
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups ice cold water

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 green onion
1 tsp brown sugar or sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil


Directions

Vegetables
Wash all vegetables well in cold water.
Potato, sweet potato, and carrot
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Peel and rinse potatoes and trim very top and bottom of the carrot.
Thin slice (about 1/8 inch thick) the potato and sweet potato, then cut each slice into thin strips.
Slice carrot into about 1/8 by 1/8 by 2 inch strips.
Place potato, sweet potato and carrot strips in boiling water and remove pot from heat. Let sit in hot water until just limp (2 to 5 minutes)
Drain and rinse in cold water, then pat dry with paper towel.
Zucchini, Green Onion, Pepper, Garlic
Peel Zucchini, rinse, and slice into about 1/8 by 1/8 by 2 inch strips. Pat dry.
Trim top and bottom of green onions, wash in cold water, then cut into 2 inch sections.
Remove stem from chili pepper, cut in half from top to bottom, then sliver each half.
Thin slice garlic cloves from top to bottom.
Put all vegetables in a large bowl and toss until well mixed

Batter
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then sift.
Wisk egg and water together, add to bowl of dry ingredients, and wisk together until smooth.

Dipping Sauce
Wisk soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and vinegar together in a small bowl.
Fine chop garlic and green onion, add to liquid, and mix well.

Cooking

Pour cooking oil (about 3 inches deep) into a large wok or deep pot. Heat over high heat to 375º (a drop of batter should immediately float when placed in hot oil)
Using metal kitchen tongs, dip some of the tossed vegetables into the batter.
Allow excess batter to drip off, then gently drop into hot oil.
Cook until lightly browned (three to five minutes).
Use a metal basket strainer with handle to remove from oil, transfer to paper towel and let drain.
Repeat until all vegetables are cooked. (Do not over crowd the wok/pot as this could cause oil to "boil over")

Serve as a snack or appetizer with dipping sauce.