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Arrowhead Chips
Goat Xi Fa Cai! Here’s wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Year of the Goat. My most craved-for Chinese New Year (CNY) snack are these addictive deep fried arrowhead chips. After all, I can eat pineapple tarts and most other CNY goodies all year round. But arrowhead/慈菇 (also known “chiku” or “ngaku”) sell only once a year during the CNY season, and absence certainly made my heart fonder for them.
See Also:
- Ingredient Spotlight: Arrowhead
- Air-Fried Crab Sticks Recipe
- Luo Han Zhai (Buddha’s Delight) Recipe
- Chinese New Year Recipes
They are cheap to make (1 kg of arrowhead is about S$2.30) with only two ingredients – arrowhead and oil. But I don’t want to kid you: making them IS a tedious process. You need to peel, air dry and deep fry. The process, excluding air drying time, took me about 2 hours. If you can get pass the hardship, I assure that you will be rewarded with the best tasting chips (my family calls them “enhanced potato chips”), without the awful recycled oil taste of the expensive store-bought ones.
Do try out this recipe during the 15 days of the lunar new year season if you can still catch them selling at Giant supermarket and wet markets in Singapore.
Step-by-Step Pics (Arrowhead Chips)
Cut the base of each arrowhead.
Peel and discard the skin using a vegetable peeler (as shown) or paring knife, leaving the stalk intact.
The peeled arrowhead with stalk on.
Hold the arrowhead by the stalk with one hand, and stablise the mandoline slicer with the other hand. Carefully shred the arrowhead to thin chips.
They should resemble thin circular “potato chips”.
Pat dry the arrowhead chips with paper towels, and spread them out on several big plates. Air dry for about 3 hours to minimize oil splatters. I use a fan to speed up the process.
Heat oil in saucepan or wok and deep fry until light golden. Tip: When deep frying the first batch, you may want to start with a few pieces to test the heat and get the cooking timing right. Temperature and full printable recipe on the next page >>
Kung Hei Fatt Choy!!!
Thank you! Gong Xi Fa Cai! :)
What unique chips! Bet they are very crunchy and delicious.
Goat Xi Fa Cai! Funny :P
I don’t think I can get past the hardship :O
I know … I feel you :P
I love these! I only found out about arrowhead chips last year when a colleagues brought them to work. Other than making chips, does the arrowhead have any other ways of cooking/eating?
When I was buying the arrowhead, chatted with an auntie and uncle also choosing them and they said they cook it with lup cheong, Cantonese (I think) style. I have never tried it myself but it sounds yummy.
More yummy than potato chips. :) Home-made ones certainly taste a lot better due to the better quality and fresher oil used.
This is really laborious but it is made with love. Happy New Year.
Thank you. Gong Xi Fa Cai :) I left you a comment at your blog (but not sure if it was lost).
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I have seen Arrowhead many times in the super market but do not know that it can be fried like potato chips. My friend gave me this chinese new year,l found it better than potato cips. Now from your Noob Cook recipes, l can learn how to fry myself and also learn some other cooking recipes. Thank you very much.
Why arrowheads put in container 2 days after is not crisp??? Air in ??? Soft Liao..
Hi
You have to put in an air-tight container. Or put the container in the fridge to store longer.
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