Samphire Bhaji
There’s a little place in a nook of the North Norfolk coastline, which holds a special place in our hearts, it’s a quintessential English seaside village called Blakeney. It inhabits a landscape which seems unchanged for a couple of centuries and during the summer it buzzes with human energy, kids crabbing, mud sliding into the shallow quay, kayaking to hidden beach spits and lazing under an endless huge sky. Apart from its’ gorgeous visual appeal we’re attracted to the area because we get to spend time with our friends at Bliss Blakeney and cook with amazing local produce. One of my favourites is freshly harvested Samphire but with a bhangra style makeover! Dredged in chickpea flour and then crisped to sensory delight, it’s salty, sour and a cheekily spiced. Samphire Bhaji makes for the perfect starter, snack or aperitif accompaniment…grab a handful!
Makes 4 snack portions
- 200g chickpea (gram) flour
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 300g samphire
- Enough vegetable oil to deep fry the samphire, up to a litre.
- Sea salt flakes to taste
- Chaat Masala to dust (optional)
- Serve with a date and tamarind chutney
How To Make Samphire Bhaji
- Make the Bhaji batter by mixing the chickpea flour, cumin, chilli and turmeric powder then gradually blend in about 200ml water and mix thoroughly until you have a thick ‘crepe’ like batter.
- Coat the samphire evenly in the batter.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan, drop in a small piece of the samphire and if it sizzles and crisps it’s ready to cook.
- Spoon in small amounts of the Samphire Bhaji, moving it around in the oil to make the pieces don’t stick together, it’ll take around 3-4 minutes, remove with slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper. Repeat until all the Samphire Bhaji has been cooked then dust with some Chaat Masala if you have some…it’ll give it that extra tang. I tend to serve it with some date and tamarind chutney. Dig in!
Samphire Bhaji
There’s a little place in a nook of the North Norfolk coastline, which holds a special place in our hearts, it’s a quintessential English seaside village called Blakeney. It inhabits a landscape which seems unchanged for a couple of centuries and during the summer it buzzes with human energy, kids crabbing, mud sliding into the shallow quay, kayaking to hidden beach spits and lazing under an endless huge sky. Apart from its’ gorgeous visual appeal we’re attracted to the area because we get to spend time with our friends at Bliss Blakeney and cook with amazing local produce. One of my favourites is freshly harvested Samphire but with a bhangra style makeover! Dredged in chickpea flour and then crisped to sensory delight, it’s salty, sour and a cheekily spiced. Samphire Bhaji makes for the perfect starter, snack or aperitif accompaniment…grab a handful!
Makes 4 snack portions
- 200g chickpea (gram) flour
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 300g samphire
- Enough vegetable oil to deep fry the samphire, up to a litre.
- Sea salt flakes to taste
- Chaat Masala to dust (optional)
- Serve with a date and tamarind chutney
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