If chips are good, and Chinese takeaway salt & chilli chips are even better, what are salt & chilli chips in light batter? You can already guess the answer – even better still, and irresistibly delicious!
Chips are the ultimate fast-food – carbohydrate packed potatoes, deep fried to golden and crispy perfection. What could be better? Well, Chinese takeaway chefs showed us that finishing those crispy chips in a deliciously savoury, salty and spicy salt & pepper mix takes things to new levels. Then, just when you thought a pinnacle had been reached, in typical takeaway form, they went one better again. Battered chips!
Love Scottish Chinese takeaway style recipes?
You can find more in my cookbook The Chinese Takeaway Secret.
Ingredients For Salt And Chilli Chips (In Light Batter)
In Glasgow and Fife, every Chinese takeaway or restaurant menu offering chips that I’ve ever encountered has used frozen chips – particularly a delicious type of ‘chunky’ chip that is instantly familiar to anyone who frequents Chinese takeaways. In other parts of Scotland and elsewhere, chippy style chips might be used. To make battered salt and chilli chips, frozen chips are ideal as they are easier to coat in the batter paste before frying.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a large Chinese supermarket or food wholesalers, you might be able to find some of the same brands of frozen chips widely used by Chinese takeaways (see below). But, any simple brand of frozen chips will work. Just try to use chips that don’t already have any kind of flavouring or seasoning already added.
You can find pre-made salt and pepper seasoning mixes in Chinese supermarkets or online, or you can use this recipe.
- Batter Mix: Self Raising Flour, Sea Salt, MSG, Water
- Chips: Frozen chips (recommended brands: Farm Frites, Lamb Weston, Aviko)
- Chinese Salt & Pepper Seasoning: The irresistible combination of salt, sugar, MSG, 5-spice and more makes just about anything it hits taste absolutely delicious.
- Other Ingredients: Onion, Green Pepper, Carrot, Spring Onion, Chopped Garlic in Oil, Chilli Flakes, Shaoxing Rice Wine
How To Make Salt & Chilli Chips (In Light Batter)
To make salt and chilli chips in light batter, we first need to form the batter mix. This is essentially the same kind of batter that would be used to make chicken balls, but we only need a small amount to give the chips a light crispy coating.
Step 1: Batter
Mix self raising flour and water in a large bowl. Add the frozen chips and mix well by hand, adding a touch more flour or water as needed until the chips are lightly coated.
Step 2: Fry
Carefully drop the chips into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until the chips are just beginning to colour. Drain from the oil with a slotted spoon, then set aside for 5 minutes. Fry the chips again , drain and set aside once more.
Step 3: Salt & Chilli
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil, onion, peppers, spring onions and garlic. Add the chips and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds. Add the salt and pepper seasoning and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds. Add crushed chilli flakes and rice wine to finish, mix well again and serve.
Tips For Salt & Chilli Chips (In Light Batter)
If you want to prepare ahead, you can coat the frozen chips in batter and do just the first fry, setting the fried chips aside to cool completely on a plate. Then, when you’re ready to eat, fry for a 2nd time as per the recipe until piping hot and crispy before finishing in the salt and chilli ingredients.
I hope you’ll try this Chinese takeaway style battered salt and chilli chips recipe. If you do, let me know in the comments how it went!
Salt & Chilli Chips (in light batter)
Equipment
- 1 Deep Fryer, Large Wok or Large Frying Pan
- 1 Large wok or Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
Batter Mix
- 50 grams self raising flour
- 50 ml water
- 250 grams frozen chips
- Oil for deep frying
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 1/4 green pepper, sliced
- 1/4 red pepper, sliced
- 1 spring onion, sliced sliced
- 1 heaped teaspoon chopped garlic in oil
- 1 teaspoon salt & pepper seasoning or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon rice wine
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add 50 grams self raising flour and 50 ml water. Mix well to form a thick batter. Add 250 grams frozen chips and mix well by hand, adding a touch more flour or water as needed until the chips are lightly coated in the batter.
- Heat Oil for deep frying to 180C. Carefully drop battered chips one by one into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chips are just beginning to colour. Drain from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside for 5 minutes. Fry the chips once more until for 2 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain and set aside once more.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1/2 medium onion, sliced, 1/4 green pepper, sliced, 1/4 red pepper, sliced, 1 spring onion, sliced and 1 heaped teaspoon chopped garlic in oil. Add the battered chips. Add 1 teaspoon salt & pepper seasoning. Stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes and 1 teaspoon rice wine to finish, mix well once more and serve.
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