Tempura Vegetables - Crisp and tempting

I do hope you  make use of the convenient new index. Hopefully it will make navigating the blog a bit easier. My dear husband has spent hours moving photo's and text around. I think a few new grey hairs got added in the process. So, on to the food.
A cold rainy day, a hungry family, the long outstanding promise to make tempura celery leave's for my son....
Somehow this is one of those ridiculously easy recipes I have always ignored. Whenever I read about it I make the promise to myself that ONE rainy day I will try the recipe. So today was the rainy day. It is very filling, ridiculously easy and tasty, so give it a whirl. Admittedly I am not keen on deep fried food, so told myself the vegetables were nearly raw as compensation! Please be sure to use only new, unused Sunflower or Canola oil. I used 2 x 750ml bottles, but I could have used a smaller pot, fried smaller batches and would then possibly have saved some oil.
The tempura is best eaten quite soon, while still warm.

                                        Tempura Vegetables
Quantities are almost impossible...so make soup with the leftover veg if necessary.

Batter:
1& 1/2 cups rice flour (Available at health stores or pick and pay health section)
1&1/2 cups soda water
1 egg white
salt and pepper

Mix together lightly. Don't over-mix. If the batter is too doughy, add a little more soda water. You want a batter that will lightly cling to the veg. Add more flour if too runny and keep going! Refrigerate while prepping the vegetables

Vegetables:
2 carrots, peeled and sliced lengthways into thick slices
2 baby marrows, unpeeled and sliced as for carrots
4-5 large button mushrooms, in thick slices
Broccoli and cauliflower florets
some sprigs of basil leaves and sage leaves
Jalapeno chillies sliced in half, seeds removed
A few large celery leaves

Heat oil, it needs to be hot before frying the veg. Have tray ready, lined with a few layers of absorbent paper to soak up the oil. Dip a selection of the veg and carefully drop into the hot oil, one at a time. Try not to let the frying veg touch each other or they will stick together.

Fry till batter is looking crisp, turn once. It  only takes about 2 minutes, (if even) and  may not have browned. Remove from oil to drain. Transfer to a clean plate, continue frying  batches until the batter or veg are finished...and then... eat!!!! Dip veg into a small bowl of soya sauce or Bragg's liquid amino acids. Very, very good, will cure quite a few cravings.