Dried shrimp chips are sold in bags in Vietnamese or Asian markets. The hard fries are then deep-fried in oil, puffing up and expanding to about twice the original size. They are very quick to fry, neither dirty nor oily. They are used to scoop up salads, sliced, and tossed into salads to create a crunch flavor or used on their own as a snack or as an accompaniment to cocktails. A bag of chips would make a lot of chips, you don’t have to use them all at once, just enough to serve and then seal to keep them fresh for the next use.
Instructions on how to make dried shrimp chips
Ingredients:
1/2 bag of dried shrimp chips
Corn or canola oil for frying
Line a large plate with paper towels and place next to the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 3/4 to 1 inch in a wok or 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat to 350F on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don’t have a thermometer, place a dry bamboo toothpick in the oil; if small bubbles immediately form on the surface around the toothpick, the oil is ready.)
Add 3-5 chips to each batch, keeping in mind that they will be twice the size. If you fry too many at once, they will cook unevenly. Each one will sink to the bottom, begin to bubble, perhaps curl up, and then expand before rising to the top, where it will be done. This all happens in 4-5 seconds, so don’t turn around and be quick to take them out. Once the potatoes float to the top, let them fry for just a few more seconds. Don’t let them brown or their delicate flavor will fade. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fries to the towel-lined plate to drain. This is fast-paced frying, so regulate the heat and adjust your batch sizes so you’re working at a comfortable speed. When the oil gets so hot and the chips float up for you to handle, you can lower the heat to lower the temperature of the oil.
Enjoy!
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