- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 100g/3½oz cornflour
- pinch salt
- 150ml/5½fl oz sparkling water
- 8 courgette flowers
- 125g/4½oz white onion, chopped
- 35g/1¼oz gramflour
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
- ½ green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
- pinch salt
- pinch red chilli powder
- pinch turmeric
- 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
- 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)
- 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).
- 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.
- For the onion bhaji, mix the onions, gram 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.
- Gently drop a little of the bhaji mixture into the hot oil or deep-fat fryer to test it's hot enough.
- When ready, place golf-ball sized amounts of the mixture into the oil. Fry until golden-brown.
- Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
- 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.
- To serve, place the deep-fried courgette flowers and onion bhajis on a serving plate with the sweetcorn salsa alongside.