Salt And Pepper Chips: Chinese Take Away Salt & Chilli Chips

Question 1

What’s in salt and pepper seasoning mix?

Accepted Answer

This spice blend is a very simple mixture that packs a punch in the flavour stakes.

It’s made up of salt, white pepper, Chinese 5 spice, caster sugar, crushed chilli flakes, ground ginger and garlic powder. You can buy it online. Kerala Salt and Pepper Seasoning is especially good.

Question 2

Where does this dish come from?

Accepted Answer

Salt & Pepper Chips are the perfect example of a gift from the gourmet gods resulting from two very different cuisines coming together.

Invented in Chinese restaurants in Liverpool, where it’s as popular as the Beatles and Steven Gerrard combined, this dish is a culinary favourite served across the whole city in the many Asian-inspired chip shops. You'll find this classic side-dish inside any Chinese restaurant in Liverpool.

The dish came to popularity thanks to the waves of Chinese immigrants who settled in Merseyside from the 1960s onward, bringing with them cooking traditions and specific flavours that would quickly influence local dishes. The best Chinese restaurants can be found in Liverpool.

Salt 'n Pepper Chips is, without doubt, the most popular Asian-inspired dish in Liverpool. They can be found all across the supermarkets of the UK, including Iceland salt and pepper chips. Its popularity spread way beyond the city, particularly across the North of England, where good old fashioned chips have always been a staple.

One of the earliest chippies to make salt and pepper chips – and some say still one of the best – is Chris’s Chippy. The owners claim that their special salt and chilli chips recipe was created by a Chinese master chef in the late ‘60s.

Now instead of buying a Chinese salt and pepper box you can make your own.

Question 3

What’s the best way to cook chips?

Accepted Answer

When it comes to the perfect chips, we all have our own personal preferences. Here are a few different methods you could use to get those lovely golden brown chips.

Oven bake

Straightforward and healthier than other methods, oven baked chips are a good way to go. If you want to keep things easy, use frozen oven chips. You can also make homemade chips – parboil them for 3 minutes beforehand, for best results.

Preheat your oven to 220ºC/428ºF then spread the oven chips evenly on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, or on a mesh tray.

Bake for 15–20 minutes or until beautifully golden brown, turning halfway through the cooking time.

Deep fry

Okay, it may not be the healthiest way to go. Still, for out and out indulgent fast comfort food, few things match deep fried chips.

For the perfect deep fried chips, fry for around 10 minutes at a temperature of 130ºC. Remove and set aside to drain on kitchen towels. Then, turn the heat up to 190ºC and fry for a further 5 minutes. Remove and drain again on kitchen towels.

Air fry

The perfect balance of healthy and delicious, air frying chips is an excellent method and my personal recommendation. Air fryers are so easy to use and you’ll end up with beautifully crispy chips, with minimal grease.

To cook your salt and chilli chips in the air fryer simply follow the manufacturer's instructions. It should only take around 12–15 minutes.

Question 4

How do you store salt and pepper chips?

Accepted Answer

Cooked chips should be eaten straight away. Let’s face it… there are few things worse than yesterday’s dry, tasteless reheated chips.

So, forget storing these salt and pepper chips for the next day. They are far too good for that. Think about the portion sizes you’ll need before you cook them, to minimise waste and maximise taste!

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