Tempura-Fried Green Beans With Mustard Dipping Sauce

The recipe for these irresistible green beans came to The Times from Jimmy Bradley, the chef and owner of the Red Cat in Manhattan. He fries green beans in a tempura batter, then serves them — hot, crunchy, with plenty of salt — aside a sweet-and-spicy mustard sauce. You’ll find them on the bar, eaten as meals in themselves, and at most tables running back through the room as appetizers or side dishes. They are Buffalo chicken wings for people with good art on the wall and a capacity for avoiding, as A.J. Liebling wrote, the fatal trap of abstinence. You simply can’t eat just one.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 3 cups flour
• 2 ¾ cups club soda
• About 6 cups canola oil, for frying
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• Kosher salt

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    968 calories; 63 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 39 grams monounsaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 1415 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 4

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk in the flour and club soda. Place the batter in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Pour the oil into a large pot so that it is at least a few inches deep. Heat to 350 degrees over a medium-high flame.
3. Meanwhile, combine the mustard, honey and soy and hot sauces in a small saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm and thick, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Dip the trimmed beans into the batter, letting the excess run off. (A slotted spoon or spider is useful here.) Carefully lower them into the hot oil in small batches, so that they do not stick together. Fry until the batter is golden brown and the beans are bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-lined plate. Season with salt. Repeat until the beans are finished. Serve with a bowl of dipping sauce.

25 Minutes