Make a tasty snack or starter from seasonal courgette flowers, battered and fried, served with easy onion bhajis and a spicy salsa dip.
Ingredients
- For the deep-fried courgette flowers
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vegetable oil, for deep frying - 100g/3½oz
cornflour - pinch
salt - 150ml/5½fl oz sparkling water
- 8 courgette flowers
- For the onion bhaji
-
- 125g/4½oz white
onion, chopped - 35g/1¼oz
chickpea flour - 1 tsp
coriander seeds, toasted and ground - ½ green
chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped - pinch
salt - pinch red
chilli powder - pinch
turmeric
- 125g/4½oz white
- For the sweetcorn salsa
-
- 150g/5½oz
sweetcorn, blanched, griddled and kernels removed - ½
red onion, finely chopped - 1 green
chilli, finely chopped - 1
lime, juice only - 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh
mint leaves - 2 tbsp roughly chopped
fresh coriander leaves salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 150g/5½oz
Preparation method
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For the deep-fried courgette flowers, heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer, or fill a large, deep, heavy-based pan two-thirds full with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 190C/375F (use a probe thermometer to check the temperature if you’re not using a deep-fat fryer). (CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Don’t leave unattended)
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Mix the cornflour and salt in a bowl. Whisk in enough sparkling water to form a smooth batter (you may not need all the water).
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Dip the courgette flowers into the batter and place in the deep-fat fryer, taking care not to overcrowd the fryer (you may need to do this in batches). Fry for two minutes. Once cooked, carefully remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper.
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For the onion bhaji, mix the onions, chickpea flour, ground coriander seeds and green chilli together with enough water to bind into a thick batter mixture. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric and mix thoroughly.
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Gently drop a little of the bhaji mixture into the hot oil or deep-fat fryer to test it’s hot enough.
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When ready, place golf-ball sized amounts of the mixture into the oil. Fry until golden-brown.
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Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
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For the sweetcorn salsa, place all of the salsa ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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To serve, place the deep-fried courgette flowers and onion bhajis on a serving plate with the sweetcorn salsa alongside.