Fried Arrowhead chips (Sagittaria trifolia or Chinese Arrowhead) also known as ngaku is a snack mostly eaten during Chinese New Year. Making these chips is fun and easy, a healthier and cheaper alternative than store-bought chips. They are excellent when deep fried, and taste like potato chips with slight bitterness and a very distinct flavour. Such an easy snack, crispy, nice and gluten-free too.

Tips:

  • Use a Mandoline slicer for quick and uniform slices.
  • Rinse repeatedly to reduce uneven color at the edge of the chips (brown edges).
  • Holding the stems (do not cut off), make slicing with Mandoline slicer much faster and safer.

CHINESE VERSION: 香脆炸慈菇片(芽菇)

Arrowhead Root Chips

Crispy Arrowhead Chips | MyKitchen101en

Yield: 50 servings (1 kg)

Ingredients:

  • Chinese arrowhead 1 kg
  • Cooking oil 750 ml (for deep frying)
  • Salt 1 Tbsp (for soaking)
  • Curry leaves 2-3 stems (optional, extra flavour)

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Instructions:

1 Wash and clean arrowhead root thoroughly, and remove the skin with a peeler.

Arrowhead Root Chips

2 Rinse repeatedly with running water to remove excess starch from arrowhead, this will reduce uneven color at the edge of the chips (brown edges) after frying.

Arrowhead Root Chips

3 Soak with salty water for 30 minutes.

Arrowhead Root Chips

4 Pat dry before slicing.

Arrowhead Root Chips

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5 Cut into thin slices with Mandoline slicer.

Arrowhead Root Chips

6 Heat oil to 140°C to 150°C. To test oil temperature without a thermometer, drop a single chip into the oil. The chip should sink then float after 3 seconds or so. If it doesn’t sink, the oil temperature is probably more than 160°C. If oil temperature too hot, the outer layer of chips will burn before it is completely cooked inside.

Arrowhead Root Chips

7 Fried over medium heat until golden. Add few curry leaves in the oil for extra flavor (optional).

Arrowhead Root Chips

8 Remove from heat and drain excess oil on paper towel.

Arrowhead Root Chips

9 Store chips in airtight container only after they’ve cooled completely.

Arrowhead Root Chips

Crispy Arrowhead Chips

Fried Arrowhead chips also known as ngaku is a snack mostly eaten during Chinese New Year. Making these chips is fun and easy, a healthier alternative than store-bought chips.

  • 1 kg Chinese arrowhead
  • 750 ml cooking oil (for deep frying)
  • 1 tbsp salt (for soaking)
  • 3 stems curry leaves (optional, extra flavour)

  1. Wash and clean arrowhead root thoroughly, and remove the skin with a peeler.



  2. Rinse repeatedly with running water to remove excess starch from arrowhead, this will reduce uneven color at the edge of the chips (brown edges) after frying.



  3. Soak with salty water for 30 minutes.



  4. Pat dry before slicing.



  5. Cut into thin slices with Mandoline slicer.



  6. Heat oil to 140°C to 150°C. To test oil temperature without a thermometer, drop a single chip into the oil. The chip should sink then float after 3 seconds or so. If it doesn’t sink, the oil temperature is probably more than 160°C. If oil temperature too hot, the outer layer of chips will burn before it is completely cooked inside.



  7. Fried over medium heat until golden. Add few curry leaves in the oil for extra flavor (optional).



  8. Remove from heat and drain excess oil on paper towel.



  9. Store chips in airtight container only after they’ve cooled completely.



This recipe yields 1 kg of chips divided into 50 servings. 

The nutritional value for reference is for 20 g of chips. 

Chinese New Year, Snack
Chinese, Deep-fried
arrowhead chips, fried arrowhead chips, ngaku