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Fried Shrimp Chips
Banh Phong Tom ~ "Bun Fung Tohm"

Within the realm of snack foods, shrimp chips (packaged as "shrimp crackers") are the Southeast Asian equivalent of the American potato chip. In our household, when we feel snacky and hanker for something fried, we get out the oil and dried shrimp chips. The actual frying of this rice-based snack takes seconds, and the flavorful result is not particularly oily. For this reason, a bowl of shrimp chips is easy to fry up for guests to munch on as they sip cocktails. Shrimp chips are also served alongside some Vietnamese special occasion salads, such as cucumber salad (goi dua chuot).

As with all snack foods, not all shrimp chips are the same. The inexpensive colorful ones sold in a box have artificial color and not much else to offer. In my opinion, Indonesian shrimp chips are hands down the best. Available in a variety of sizes, they are pricier because the chips are packed with real shrimp flavor. Recent imports from Vietnam offer interesting shapes but are not as flavorful as the Indonesian krupuk (the generic Indonesian term for these types of chips). Note that the Indonesian Super Titi brand also makes terrific fish and garlic chips; you'd fry those the same way as described below.

Dried shrimp chips
Oil for frying

Use a medium saucepan, wok or deep skillet to fry in. Pour in the oil to a depth of ¾ to 1 inch. Over a medium-high flame, heat the oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Test the readiness of the oil by dropping in a chip, which should generate immediate bubble action, start to expand and then float to the top in about 5 seconds.

When the oil is sufficiently hot, drop in several chips at a time. Because each chip expands to twice its original size, you don't want to fry too many at a time, lest you want them to fry unevenly. Gauge the size of your pan with the size of the finished chips to arrive at a comfortable batch size. Upon contact with the oil, the chips should sink to the bottom, start to bubble, maybe curl, and then expand before rising to the top, where they will finish expanding. All of this occurs within seconds.

Once the chips have floated to the top, they only need a few more seconds before they've reached their maximum size and are cooked through. (Don't let the chips brown or their delicate flavor is lost.) Use a skimmer to remove the chips onto a paper towel-lined plate. Perfectly cooked chips are crunchy and full of flavor. Discard any undercooked chip that has odd chewy-hard spots which didn't bubble and expand. Because this is fast-paced frying, regulate the heat and adjust your batches so that you're working at a comfortable speed.

Notes & Tips

Advance Preparation - Shrimp chips may be fried several hours in advance.