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Can’t get enough of my salt and pepper potatoes? You should also make these British-inspired chips with a Chinese twist by adding salt and pepper seasoning. The fried chips are stir-fried with onions, green onions, and Thai chili pepper and tossed in my homemade Chinese salt and pepper seasoning.
What Makes This Salt And Pepper Chips Recipe So Good?
So, how did salt and pepper seasoning make its way to recreating these beloved British chips? You will have to thank the Chinese immigrants in Liverpool who created this dish for fish and chips.
Its popularity began in the 1960s in Chinese-owned fish and chips restaurants and eventually made a reputation for being one of the most ordered side dishes from Chinese takeouts.
Today, the fried chips are prepared with a variety of ingredients, including red peppers, green peppers, cloves, garlic, spring onions, and bell peppers, to name a few.
Some versions even include vegetables like strips of carrots and zucchini. Of course, the most important step, the chips are sprinkled with a generous amount of salt and pepper seasoning.
It is a fusion of Chinese and British food, making it so good and better! The chips are salty, spicy, oniony, and slightly sweet. Pair this finger food with the perfect main meal, such as:
- Ippudo-style Teba Gyoza (Stuffed Chicken Wings)
- Crispy Pork Belly (Burger)
- Buttermilk Chicken Burger
- Prawn Paste Chicken
- Popcorn Chicken
- Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
- Honey Soy Baked Wings
The Secret Ingredient: Salt And Pepper Seasoning
How can Chinese salt and pepper seasoning make this finger food even better? If you don’t know yet, salt and pepper seasoning is a mix of 6 different spices. It includes Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seed, shrimp skin, white sesame seeds, salt, Chinese five spice powder, and paprika (optional for a slightly spicy taste).
Some salt and pepper seasoning recipes even incorporate caster sugar, garlic powder, ground white pepper, and ground ginger.
With this combination of spices, it gives the chips a unique and irresistible taste. It is umami, salty, spicy, nutty, and with a hint of licorice-like flavor.
Where To Get Salt And Pepper Seasoning
Get this seasoning in Asian markets, in the spice section of your grocery store, or online like Amazon.
If you have spare time or simply prefer homemade seasonings, follow my easy recipe for salt and pepper seasoning with 6 spices. In this recipe, it requires toasting, grinding, and mixing the ingredients all together.
If you make a large batch of salt and pepper seasoning, use it for the following recipes:
- Salt And Pepper Potatoes
- Salt And Pepper Tofu
- Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
- Salt And Pepper Shrimp
- Salt And Pepper Fish
- Salt And Pepper Pork Chops
- Salt And Pepper Pork
- Salt And Pepper Squid
Recipe Tips And Ingredient Alternatives
I use cut potatoes, cornstarch, onions, green onions, Thai chili pepper, and salt and pepper powder as the main ingredients. If you want to omit or add more ingredients, you can follow my tips and suggestions below. Of course, the only ingredient that should not be removed or changed is the salt and pepper seasoning.
- Potato: It is best to use medium or large potatoes to make thick slices. You can use regular potatoes or sweet potatoes. To lessen the preparation time, go for store-bought and pre-cut chips or fries. Generally, British chips are thicker and shorter than American french fries which are long and thin. You can cut it in your desired shape, such as straight, curly, shoestring, crinkle, or wedges, to name a few.
- Cornstarch: British chips are supposed to be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. To help make it crispier, I coat the boiled chips with cornstarch before frying. If you don’t have cornstarch, tapioca flour or potato starch are excellent alternatives to coat the chips.
- Stir-fry ingredients: After boiling the chips and coating them with cornstarch, proceed to the stir-frying step. I stir-fry chopped red onions, green onions, and Thai chili pepper before adding the fried chips. You can use other types of onions, such as yellow and white. To add some heat, stir in chopped green and red chili peppers or chili flakes. If you want more vegetables, put some strips of carrots or zucchini. You can enhance the flavor by incorporating bell peppers and garlic.
- Salt and pepper seasoning: A special flavor is imparted to the dish by this seasoning. The taste of salt and pepper seasoning is distinct and derived from several spices, making finding an alternative difficult. Therefore, I recommend making your own seasoning or purchasing one from a store. If you don’t have salt and pepper seasoning or have no time to make the homemade version, I suggest adding the following spices during the stir-frying step of the chips and adjusting to taste. These spices may not exactly recreate the same taste of salt and pepper powder, but it is close enough.
- 1 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp of caster sugar
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp of ground white pepper
- 1 tsp of Chinese five spice powder
- Cooking oil: If you choose to deep-fry the chips, make sure to heat the oil to 356°F. It should be hot enough to sizzle and bubble. Oil temperature lower than the desired heat can make the chips soggy since oil is more absorbed with unheated oil. I recommend using oil with a high smoke point since it lessens the amount of oil oxidized and can withstand high heat longer. Oils with high smoke points are sesame, avocado, sunflower, canola, and peanut oil.
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Make Salt And Pepper Chips
The only kitchen tool you need is a non-stick pan for boiling and frying. I also suggest having a strainer or strainer spatula to allow the chips to drain the excess oil. Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 400g Potatoes
- 2 tbsp salt
- 50ml white vinegar
- Water for boiling
- 40g corn starch
- 10g chopped red onions
- 10g chopped green onions
- 10g Thai chili pepper
- Salt and pepper powder (Adjust according to your taste)
- Oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp oil for stir fry
10 Steps To Make Salt And Pepper Chips
You can do this recipe in 10 easy steps. It is the preparation of potatoes that may take a while before you can proceed to the stir-frying step. Generally, you have to clean, slice, boil, coat, and deep-fry the potatoes.
After preparing the potatoes, the rest of the recipe steps are quick and easy. You can watch how I made this recipe with my short tutorial guide on Instagram or TikTok. Don’t forget to leave a comment or tag me @kitchenmisadventures to show your salt and pepper chips.
Clean, peel, and cut potatoes into thick straight slices. Start by slicing it from the ends to give you round cuts. Then, slice it into thick rectangular strips.
Wash the cut potatoes with water to remove the starch.
Prepare a pan with water and let it boil. Add salt and white vinegar to boiling water.
Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes and drain.
Coat the boiled potatoes with cornstarch. Mix well until each potato slice is evenly coated with cornstarch.
Prepare a pan with cooking oil for deep-frying. When the oil is 356°F, fry the potato slices until golden and crispy. Drain extra oil after deep frying. You can also bake or air-fry the potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes at 200°C or 400°F or air-fry for 25 minutes at 200°C or 400°F. Remember to flip it halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. Cook until golden brown and crispy.
Prepare a pan for stir-frying. Chop your onions, green onions, and Thai chili pepper.
Keep about 1 tbsp oil in the pan. Stir-fry the chopped red onions, chopped green onions, and Thai chili pepper until they are fragrant.
Put the fried potato slices in the pan.
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper powder. Give it a good mix to evenly spread the powder.
Chinese-Style Salt And Pepper Chips
Ingredients
- 400 g Potatoes
- 2 tbsp salt
- 50 ml white vinegar
- Water for boiling
- 40 g cornstarch
- 10 g chopped red onions
- 10 g chopped green onions
- 10 g Thai chili pepper
- Salt and pepper powder
- Oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp oil for stir fry
Instructions
- Clean, peel, and cut potatoes into thick straight slices. Start by slicing it from the ends to give you round cuts. Then, slice it into thick rectangular strips.
- Wash the cut potatoes with water to remove the starch.
- Prepare a pan with water and let it boil. Add salt and white vinegar to boiling water.
- Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes and drain.
- Coat the boiled potatoes with cornstarch. Mix well until each potato slice is evenly coated with cornstarch.
- Prepare a pan with cooking oil for deep-frying. When the oil is 356°F, fry the potato slices until golden and crispy. Drain extra oil after deep frying. You can also bake or air-fry the potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes at 200°C or 400°F or air-fry for 25 minutes at 200°C or 400°F. Remember to flip it halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. Cook until golden brown and crispy.
- Prepare a pan for stir-frying. Chop your onions, green onions, and Thai chili pepper.
- Keep about 1 tbsp oil in the pan. Stir-fry the chopped red onions, chopped green onions, and Thai chili pepper until they are fragrant.
- Put the fried potato slices in the pan.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper powder. Give it a good mix to evenly spread the powder.
