Korean Fried Broccoli

For the broccoli:
6 cups broccoli florets
3/4 cup cornsflour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons panko or fresh breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ice-cold sparkling mineral water
1/2 cup ice-cold vodka
1/4 cup very thinly sliced spring onions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Oil for frying- for best results use plain old blended vegetable oil rather than olive oil.

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons shoyu (a type of Japanese soy sauce)
1/4 cup gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
2 tablespoons black rice vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Smoke the broccoli either using a smoker, or constructing one from tin foil as follows. To smoke broccoli in tin foil, line a square baking pan with tin foil. Add two cups of hickory chips to the bottom, and place over burners if you have them or on a gas bbq on a high heat. Cover with tinfoil like a lid. Once smoke starts to curl out from under the lid, put a tray or rack over the chips and place broccoli on it. Re-cover the pan and let it sit on high heat until smoke comes out from under the lid again. Remove broccoli.

Toss the smoked broccoli in 1/4 cup of the cornflour, then shake off excess powder.

Mix the remaining cornflour, baking powder, panko, salt, and flour together. Add vodka and sparkling mineral water to the cornflour mixture. Roll the broccoli in the wet batter.

Deep fry broccoli in batches until golden. Set on paper towels to drain.

For the sauce, mix together all sauce ingredients in a big bowl. Toss the fried, smoked broccoli in the sauce. Remove, sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onions, and serve.

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