Salt & Pepper Chips (Chinese Takeaway Style)

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Salt & Pepper Chips (Chinese Takeaway Style)

Savoury, slightly sweet and spicy all at once, salt and pepper chips are a modern Chinese takeaway classic. This recipe uses frozen chips and a flavour packed salt and pepper seasoning mix to create a dish you'll go back to again and again!

Course Side Dish, Accompaniment

Cuisine Chinese, Chinese Takeaway, British Chinese, Scottish Chinese

Keyword salt and pepper, salt and chilli, battered chips, salt and chilli chips, salt and pepper chips, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings portion

Calories 510kcal

Equipment

1 Wok or Large Frying Pan
1 Deep Fryer or Air Fryer

Ingredients

Salt & Pepper Mix

6 tablespoons sea salt
1 whole star anise
2 tablespoons MSG (monosodium glutamate)
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons spice ginger powder see notes
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice
1/4 teaspoon extra hot chilli powder
1 teaspoon smoked garlic powder

Salt & Pepper Chips

Oil for deep frying
250 grams frozen chips

Instructions

Salt & Pepper Mix

Heat a dry wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add 6 tablespoons sea salt and 1 whole star anise and dry-fry, stirring often, until the salt changes colour and becomes a little darker (this should take around 10 minutes). Set aside to cool completely (be careful, the toasted salt will be VERY hot).
Once the toasted salt is completely cool, add it to a large bowl. 2 tablespoons MSG (monosodium glutamate), 3 tablespoons caster sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons spice ginger powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice, 1/4 teaspoon extra hot chilli powder and 1 teaspoon smoked garlic powder. Mix well and pour the salt and pepper mix into a shaker or a food-safe container.
Note - This is enough seasoning for multiple salt & pepper style dishes, you won't need it all to make these salt & pepper chips.

Salt & Pepper Chips

Heat Oil for deep frying to 160C. Carefully drop 250 grams frozen chips into the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, until just beginning to colour. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon (or lift the basket if using a deep fat fryer) and set aside.
Increase the heat of the oil to 180-190C. Carefully drop chips into the oil again and fry for another 2 minutes, turning once or twice (or shaking the basket) until the chips are cooked through, golden and crispy. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon (or lift the basket again if using a deep fat fryer), transfer the cooked chips to a plate and set aside.
Heat a dry wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add cooked chips and season generously with 1 teaspoon of the prepared salt & pepper mix. Toss chips in pan with the seasoning for 10-20 seconds.
Pour salt & pepper chips on to a serving plate or into a large paper bag. Serve with curry sauce, or as part of a large Chinese takeaway style feast.

Notes

You can find spice ginger powder online or in Chinese supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can use a 1/4 teaspoon each of regular ginger powder and galangal powder. Or, add just 1/4 teaspoon of regular ginger powder. Or, leave it out altogether!

You can also find some brands of Chinese 5-spice with more than 5 ingredients on their packaging, and some of these may include spice ginger powder. Either way, you'll still be making a delicious salt & pepper seasoning mix!

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