The Cook’s Corner
Each month at Moderne Barn in Armonk, Executive Chef Ethan Kostbar assembles a Sunday-only “regional menu” inspired by cuisine from a particular area of the world. This month it’s Japan, which means you’ll find items like an avocado cucumber sushi roll, teriyaki marinated grilled skirt steak, mizo glazed salmon, and tempura fried squash blossoms. To help you infuse some Eastern cooking into your own kitchen, we asked Kostbar for his tempura fried squash blossoms recipe.
Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms
6 squash blossoms
½ lb (21-25) shrimp peeled, deveined
1 can bamboo shoots, rinsed
10 Shitake mushrooms, remove stem
1 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt, to taste
Add shrimp, bamboo shoots, shitake mushrooms, mirin, and soy sauce to food processor for 30 seconds, then season with salt. Add mix to pastry bag. Open squash blossoms and pipe the mixture into the blossoms until they are full.
Tempura Batter
½ cup flour (all purpose)
2 Tbsp corn starch
½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup water
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, water, and rice wine vinegar to create the tempura batter. Careful not to over mix—the mixture should stick to the squash blossom, if not add a bit more flour. Dredge squash blossoms in flour and then add to tempura batter. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown, remove using slotted spoon. Place on paper towel. Season with salt.
