Garden Vegetable Tempura Fritters

While rice cooks, wash and dry produce.

Thinly slice cucumber into rounds. Trim scallions; thinly slice greens and cut whites into 1-inch pieces. Trim green beans if necessary; cut into 1-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.

In a small bowl, combine cucumber, scallion greens, vinegar, ½ tsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt (1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt for 4 servings). Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve. 

In a large bowl, whisk together tempura batter mix, garlic powder, ⅔ cup cold water (1⅓ cups for 4 servings), and salt (we used 1 tsp; 2 tsp for 4).

Add scallion whites, green beans, onion, and cabbage and carrot mix to bowl with batter. Stir until veggies are thoroughly coated. 

Heat a ⅓-inch layer of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles when added to the pan, carefully add heaping ⅓-cup scoops of batter. TIP: Add batter close to the pan to avoid splatter. You may need to work in batches, adding more oil as needed and adjusting the heat if fritters are browning too quickly. You can also make smaller fritters if you like! 

Lightly press down on tops of fritters with a spatula until about 1 inch thick. Cook until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. 

Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer fritters to a paper-towel-lined plate. Blot tops of fritters with paper towels. Season with a pinch of salt.

While fritters cook, in a second small bowl, combine ponzu and sweet soy glaze.