Salt And Pepper Chips Recipe

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How To Make Salt And Pepper Chips With Chinese Salt And Pepper Seasoning

Salt and pepper chips (also called salt and chilli chips) are incredibly tasty and so easy to make at home. This Chinese takeaway favourite is made with simple ingredients and is ready to eat in minutes. The perfect side dish or snack everyone will love.

Who knew chips tossed in Chinese salt and pepper seasonings would taste so good? Every bite is full of an explosion of flavour you can’t forget. Peppery, salty, chilli and full of spices these chips are just too good!

You can make Chinese takeaway chips at home without the takeaway bill! It’s the ideal side or comfort dish to sit back and relax with. It only requires a few ingredients and this recipe is a super quick, easy and healthier fakeaway recipe on a British classic. Enjoy with Chinese crispy beef and salt and pepper chicken for a homemade Chinese fakeaway feast.

Where Does Salt And Pepper Chips Come From?

Salt and pepper chips are a British favourite sold in many Chinese takeaway shops across the country, despite the name Chinese salt and pepper chips. This dish is pretty much a British dish with a Chinese inspired twists to it in the form of flavourings such as Chinese five spice and garlic.

Chinese takeaway grew very popular in the 1880s. Chilli chips with salt and Chinese flavourings were invented to satisfy the British palate. The very popular British chip was given a dash of flavour and turned into Chinese chilli chips sold to happy customers throughout England.

Why This Recipe Is So Good

Well first and foremost who doesn’t love chips?

• This recipe is super quick and easy.
• It’s cheaper than a takeout.
• You can adjust the chillies and spices to your taste.
• You can make salt and pepper chips with oven chips, sweet potatoes, fresh potatoes (and other vegetables like parsnips).

Recipe Ingredients

To make homemade Chinese style salt and pepper chips, you’ll need the following ingredients below. Full details on the ingredients and quantities are on the recipe card at the bottom.

• Chips: I used straight cut oven chips in this recipe but you don’t have to do the same. You can fry your chips or use fresh chips from potatoes if you want. This recipe is very versatile! A yummy twist to this recipe is to make salt and pepper chips with sweet potato.

• Vegetables: The vegetables used in this dish are onions, red and green chillies, garlic and a red bell pepper. Some salt and pepper recipes add spring onions to garnish, you can too if you wish. I occasionally add this to my chilli chips but most times I forget to add them in.

• Chinese Salt And Pepper Seasonings: The star of the show, the seasoning spice mix is responsible for the explosion of flavour and great tasting chips. It’s not just made up of salt and pepper, there is a lot more to it. See how to make the spice mix below.

How To Make Salt And Pepper Seasoning

To make salt and chilli pepper seasoning you’ll need salt, white pepper and Chinese five spice. These 3 ingredients make-up the flavoursome spice mix. You can either add the seasonings in a bowl and mix together for a ready-made mixture or add the seasonings one-by-one to the dish. If you want to add extra heat to this recipe (in addition to the chillies) then you can also add a sprinkle of chilli flakes or chilli powder.

What are the 5 spices in Chinese five spice? It is very easy to make your own Chinese five spice as an alternative to buying it readymade and mixed. The 5 ingredients are:

• Star Anise
• Fennel Seeds
• Szechuan Peppercorns
• Whole Cloves
• Cinnamon

It’s the perfect combination of spices used in Chinese cuisine that can be added to dishes like this to provide extra flavour. These spices are quite strong, so a little really does go a long way! It is very easy for this spice mix to overpower a dish.

My Top Tips

Even though this recipe is super easy, prepping your ingredients will make this recipe even easier. Slice the onion, bell pepper, garlic and chillies ready to stir fry straight away.

Pre-make the Chinese salt and pepper seasoning mix to avoid adding each spice separately. It can become your go-to spice blend to add a pinch of flavour to any dish.

Not a fan of heat? Take out the seeds from the chillies to take away some heat from this recipe.

How To Make Salt And Pepper Chips (Oven Method)

Here’s a step-by-step recipe on how to make salt and pepper chips with pictures, for other methods to cook this dish check out the recipe variations below this section.

Step One:

Pour the oven chips into a roasting tray and drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the chips. With your hands toss the chips around until the oil evenly coats the chips. Place the chips in the oven to cook at 180°C (gas mark 4, 350°F) for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked.

Step Two:

While the chips are in the oven cooking, with a sharp knife chop the chillies, garlic, bell pepper and peel and chop the onion.

With a wok of frying pan add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and stir-fry the sliced onions, garlic, bell pepper and chillies over a medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the garlic and onions have browned. Then remove from the heat and set aside until the chips have cooked.

Step Three:

When the chips are cooked reheat the stir-fry mixture for 2 to 3 minutes and add the cooked chips and mix together. Sprinkle the seasoning mix (Chinese five spice, white pepper and salt) and toss the chips and vegetables around for 1 to 2 minutes or until the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Serve and enjoy! And that’s how to make salt and pepper chips at home.

Can You Cook These Salt And Pepper Chips Another Way?

YES! Check out the cooking variaitions below:

Fresh Potatoes: To make this recipe with fresh potatoes, peel and cut the potatoes into chunky size chips or wedges and boil in a pan of water for 10 minutes. Drain from the water and place in a baking tray. Coat with a few tbsp of oil and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and fully cooked. Continue to stir fry the vegetables, adding the cooked chips and seasoning mix.

Actifry: Peel and cut potatoes into chunky size chips, spray with low fat cooking spray and sprinkle with the salt and pepper seasoning mix. Place in the actifry and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add the garlic, bell pepper, onion and chillies and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes or until fully cooked.

Freezing & Reheating

Can I freeze these Salt and Pepper Chips? Yes! You can freeze salt and pepper chips but it is best to freeze part cooked fresh potatoes and not fully cooked chips.

How long can you keep these Salt and Pepper Chips in the fridge for? These chips taste best freshly made! It’s best to eat them straightaway, but if you have leftovers keep in the fridge for no more than a day or 2.

How do I reheat these Salt and Pepper Chips? To reheat from chilled simply put the salt and pepper chips in a container with a loosely fitted lid and heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until hot throughout. To reheat from frozen, allow the chips to defrost then proceed to cook in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until hot throughout.

What To Serve With

The options of what to serve with these delicious salty and peppery chips are endless. You can even have it as a meal on its own. Though I find it best matched with a cool cold drink, here are a few more Chinese takeaway or fakeaway style recipes below:

• Salt And Pepper Chicken (have salt and pepper chips and salt and pepper chicken)
• Chinese crispy beef
• Honey And Chilli Chicken

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