Sweet pepper tempura

Method

1. First, make the jam: heat the oil in a large pan, add the peppers and onion. Cook for 5 minutes without colouring. Add the peppers and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the sugar and tomatoes and season and cook gently for 20 minutes or until the mix become jam-like. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Place the jam into a processor and mix until the mixture is smoother but still with texture.
2. To make the batter, Sift the plain flour and cornflour with the sea salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the ice-cold sparkling mineral water - don't over beat and use immediately.
3. Heat the oil. Dry the peppers lightly with kitchen paper. Dip some of the peppers briefly into the batter, shake off any excess, and then lower straight into the hot oil. Don't crowd the oil. Fry for about 1 minute until light golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
4. Repeat with the remaining peppers in batches, dipping into the batter just before you fry them and remember to let the oil heat back up to temperature between each batch.
5. Serve the tempura alongside the pepper jam.

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