A tasty fall treat: Maple leaves you can eat
Colourful autumn leaves can be turned into something tasty
Jumping into a freshly raked pile of leaves is part of autumn rituals and with the autumn cavalcades of colours at their peak this week we know that we will soon be out in the yard, rake in hand.
Having jumped into piles of leaves, I’ve had on occasion had some go into my mouth. The earthy taste of decay and soggy damp texture are far from a palatable experience, which can take on a revolting twist if you have pets who may have peppered the leaves with their outdoor bathroom rituals.
For these reasons alone it is no wonder that the only leaves we see on the menu are of the garden varieties.
Momiji is the Japanese name for the Japanese maple tree that produces striking red colours in autumn. Momiji Tempura is a preparation of the maple trees leaves that has been prepared for over 1,000 years. The leaves are harvested by hand from the tree when they are at their peak colour and aged for a year in salt or a brine solution as the leaves of deciduous trees are chewy and loaded with indigestible cellulose. After the year has passed the leaves are rinsed, dipped in tempura batter and deep fried.
The result is a beautiful maple leaf-shaped donut or fritter. The leaf itself contributes no flavour to the recipe but acts as a catalyst for the tempura batter to take on the maple leaf shape with the batter providing all of the flavour.
The local cavalcade of autumn colours is at their peak with sugar maple trees in bright display of fiery hues of red that are ready to be harvested and made into Tempura Maple Leaves.
Tempura Maple Leaves
Ingredients:
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 2 dozen small red maple leaves
• 1 medium sized egg
• 1 cup soda water or ginger beer
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Method: Wipe down the leaves with a clean damp cloth before layering them in a glass baking dish with the salt generously sprinkled over each leaf. Cover with plastic wrap and set the leaves in the fridge for 24 hours.
Set up your counter-top deep fryer with fresh oil and set it to 350 °f. While the fryer is heating up, rinse the salt from the maple leaves and pat them dry with a bit of paper towel. In a medium size bowl whisk together the egg and soda water or ginger beer. Gently whisk in 1 cup of flour without over mixing. Prepare a second bowl with the remaining ½ cup of flour.
Holding the stem, lightly dust a leaf in the flour bowl before dipping each side of it in the tempura batter. Gently lower the battered leaf into the fryer oil without dropping it. Once the batter begins to bubble and starts to float you can let go of the stem letting the leaf free-float in the oil. Use a set of tongs to turn the leaf over to allow it to cook evenly on both sides. Once the leaf is brown and crisp on both sides remove it from the fryer and let it drain out onto a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining leaves until all the leaves are cooked.
Serve the tempura battered leaves immediately with the maple syrup for dipping.