Vazhakkai Chips have always been a delicacy at our home , growing up. When we were in school, there was almost no buying snacks from the stores. Processed food was not something we have been used to. Many days whenever my grandmother found fresh green plantains at the local market at Ranganathan Street, she would buy a couple to make these delicious chips. The only gadget that all homes had for this purpose was the Anjali slicer which apparently was the best. I would peel and slice the vazhakkai and spread them on a newspaper next to the stove and my grandmother would pop them in to the hot oil right away. When the fried chips were set to drain on to the colander, I would sprinkle the spice powder over the hot chips, all the time, resisting temptation to eat a few. The Chips Aisle in the grocery supermarket is crowded with so many different brands and a myriad variety of flavors – Sour Cream and Onion, Barbecue, Black Pepper and Sea Salt, Maui Onion, Garden Vegetable etc. There are so many varieties of chips in the market – kettle cooked, popped, baked, toasted etc, but nothing comes even close to the bursting flavours of the simple home made version.
INGREDIENTS:
3 Fresh Raw Green Plantain.
Oil to Fry.
1/2 Tsp Salt.
1/3 Tsp Red Chilli Powder.
1/4 Tsp Hing.
PREPARATION:
- Pour enough oil in to a heavy bottomed kadai and set stove on medium flame allowing time for prep work.
- Mix the dry powders and set aside.
- Its`s important to have a sharp good quality mandoline and I have been wanting the MicroPlane Adjustable Slicer with Julienne Blade or the Swissmar Borner Mandoline which is heavily rated and reviewed on Amazon but couldn’t actually get round to looking at one. So I settled with the OXO Adjustable Slicer which is pretty awesome too!
- Peel the green plantain one at a time and quickly slice the plantain on to a dry paper towel . When the oil is hot enough, slowly pop them in to the hot oil and deep fry them until they get light and crispy and a golden brown.
- Drain them on to a colander and sprinkle the spice mix on to the chips and toss lightly.
- Transfer to an air tight container.
Anubhavati -Tastes from my kitchen 
Looks crunchy n yummy!!
@ Shreevidhya,
Thanks for the comments!
Shobha
looks Yumm… i bet it tastes yumm tooo.. i remember those days where a roadside guy would scoop a handful and toss it into a paper cone and thrust it into your hand. All nice and crunchy… wafting with the pungent smell of chilli powder and hing.
Looks super tempting and awesome.. lovely clicks too!!
They look very evenly deep fried and very good. Home made goodies are such a treat always.
@ Lata,
They were so crunchy and extremely tasty! I had in fact forgotten the taste of home made chips.
Shobha
I can’t begin to tell you how impressive your blog looks in terms of the variety of recipes, the presentation and the props you have used. I am a new blogger and I really need some tips from you. Would be great if you could guide me on this. Amazed!