Japanese•gourmet

Gluten-Free Tempura Artichoke Hearts with Spiced Aioli

Crispy golden gluten-free tempura with artichoke hearts served with spicy tangy aioli!

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

½ cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons water
½ tablespoon tomato paste
1 small clove garlic (finely minced or grated)
½ tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
2 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 dashes sriracha
¼ teaspoon paprika
Dash of cayenne
Pinch salt & pepper
2 12-ounce packages frozen quartered artichoke hearts (thawed (or two cans, drained))
3-4 cups vegetable oil
1½ cups white rice flour
1½ cups cold seltzer water
½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)

1
Prepare the spiced aioli. Whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and sriracha to preference. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2
Preheat the oven to 200ºF and line two baking sheets with paper towels.
3
Pat the thawed artichoke hearts dried with paper towels.
4
Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with 3-4 inches of vegetable oil. Over medium high heat, bring the oil to 375ºF using a candy thermometer.
5
Meanwhile, whisk together the rice flour, seltzer water, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add more rice flour or club soda as needed until the batter resemble a thick pancake batter.
6
When the oil reaches 375ºF, coat each artichoke heart in the batter, working in batches of 6 to 8 at a time. Carefully transfer with a slotted spoon to the hot oil.
7
Fry until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes (if you under cook them, they won't wind up crispy, but will instead be soft, so be sure to let them cook until lightly golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the artichoke hearts to the paper towel lined baking sheets.
8
Sprinkle with salt and transfer to the oven to keep warm.
9
Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat until you've fried all of the artichoke hearts.
10
Serve with the spiced aioli dipping sauce.