Evergreen Sage Herb Winter Tempura
Broad-leaved Green Sage Leaves Dipped in Batter Making Tempura
Mar 9, 2009
Buying thirty broad leaves of sage for this winter tempura recipe will produce 6 to 8 servings as a starter or as part of a platter with dipping sauces.
Sage is an evergreen herb meaning that its leaves will stay in good condition even in low temperatures, frost and snow of the winter months. Many farmers markets, delis, grocers, supermarkets and online markets where you can buy herbs will stock sage in the winter months alongside sprigs of rosemary, tarragon (a tender herb frequently cultivated under protection), bay leaves and thyme.
Evergreen Sage Herb Winter Tempura Recipe
Ingredients:
- 30 medium to large green leaves of Salvia officinalis, Sage
- 2 large free-range eggs
- Olive oil for frying (walnut oil or groundnut oil are alternatives)
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 250g plain flour
- 350 to 400ml chilled carbonated water
Directions:
- Add and stir in freshly cracked black pepper to the plain flour in a glass bowl.
- Crack the eggs into a separate small ramekin.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the egg yolks and egg whites.
- Add 300 ml of the carbonated water.
- Whisk (optimally with a balloon whisk by hand) the eggs and the flour to form a batter that has the consistency of a good quality double cream. Add further water if consistency is too thick.
- Cover the base of a frying pan with olive oil and heat to a high temperature. Take care of children, pets and others in the kitchen from the spitting oil. A frying pan wireguard may be useful to buy if making tempura regularly.
- Wash the sage leaves and pat dry with kitchen towel.
- Dip each green sage leaf into the batter, shake and drop (with care) into the frying pan. Turn with a spatular once each side has cooked to crisp and golden.
- Serve evergreen sage tempura to winter party guest hot. Sprinkle with a little black pepper to taste or serve with a choice of dipping sauces.
Harvesting Sage Salvia officinalis
Growing your own sage is an alternative to buying freshly harvested or dried bunches at farmers markets or pre-packed herbs at delis, grocers and supermarkets. Snow and frosty winter days and nights will not deter a well established sage plant to produce new leaves and ensure a herb gardener's constant supply of sage leaves for cooking all year around.
Buying Young Sage Plants From Garden Centres and Herb Nurseries
Young plants of sage can be bought from garden centres and herb nurseries in 0.25 litre and 0.5 litre pots (ranging from under £1 to £3 in the UK). Garden centres often supply two varieties of sage:
- Smaller leaved, purple sage or Salvia officinalis 'Purpurea'
- Larger leaved, green to silvery sage, Salvia officinalis
Young plants of Salvia officinalis and S. officinalis 'Purpurea' will quickly establish in well cultivated soils or containers attracting full sun during the warmer months. For cooking the green leaves of Salvia officinalis are aromatic to the touch and will work well in the Evergreen Sage Herb Winter Tempura recipe and Italian-style dishes. Purple sage (Salvia officinalis 'Purpurea') has smaller leaves with a more subtle aroma and taste, produces a high yield of leaves for harvesting and works well in mixed herb dishes including sage stuffings and mixed leaf salads. More cultivated varieties of sage may be available to buy from local herb nurseries.
Becoming a Evergreen Herb Grower
Herb growers can cram scores of different varieties of culinary herbs into a small space. Regardless of the size and site of their plot, folks growing their own herbs will find that in the winters of the global north, sage will be among those evergreen herbs still producing aromatic leaves in the snow.
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