Vegetable Chips
野菜チップス
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
These vegetable chips are a favorite afternoon snack (oyatsu) in preschool kitchens: thin slices of potato and lotus root, fried gently until light and crisp, with just a whisper of salt. The lacy holes of lotus root make each chip a little fun to look at, and kids who won't touch it simmered often happily crunch through it this way. Seasoned only with a pinch of salt, they let the natural sweetness of the vegetables come through. The secret to a really crisp chip is all in the prep, so take your time with the soaking and drying.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 37.5 gpotato
- 30 glotus root (renkon)A crisp, mildly sweet root vegetable with a lacy pattern of holes when sliced, sold fresh in Asian markets or frozen/vacuum-packed. Substitute: Water chestnuts or jicama for crunch, or thinly sliced potato.
Seasonings
- 6 gvegetable oil
- 0.1 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- lotus root (renkon) (れんこん)
- A crisp, mildly sweet root vegetable with a lacy pattern of holes when sliced, sold fresh in Asian markets or frozen/vacuum-packed. Substitute: Water chestnuts or jicama for crunch, or thinly sliced potato.
Directions
- 1
Peel the potato and lotus root, slice them thinly on a mandoline, and soak the slices in water for at least 15 minutes. Change the water several times along the way until it no longer turns cloudy white.
- 2
Drain the slices in a colander, then lay them out on a tray lined with paper towels and press another paper towel over the top to blot off more moisture. Leave them out like this so the surfaces dry thoroughly.
- 3
Fry in oil at 160°C (320°F), turning the slices over, until they take on a light golden color. (When the sizzling quiets down, that is your sign they are done. Take care that the oil temperature does not climb too high.)
- 4
Sprinkle with salt while the chips are still warm.
To get the chips really crisp, keep three things in mind: soak the slices in water to rinse off the starch thoroughly, dry off the moisture completely, and fry at a low temperature. If you work through step 2 a little ahead of time, the slices have a chance to dry properly, so the whole process goes more efficiently.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 94.5 kcal | 189 kcal | 94.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 6 g | 12 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.1 g | 22.2 g | 11.1 g |
| Fiber | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Calcium | 7.5 mg | 15 mg | 7.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 286.5 mg | 573 mg | 286.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 94.5 kcal | 1.4 g | 6 g | 11.1 g | 3.9 g | 0 g | 7.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 286.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 189 kcal | 2.7 g | 12 g | 22.2 g | 7.8 g | 0 g | 15 mg | 0.6 mg | 573 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
