I need some help, especially from anyone who knows anything about Tamil or Malayalam cooking.Posted by shanti at July 20, 2005 8:45 AMI have made chips at home, both by myself as well as as a helping hand at home. The broad principles that apply to fried food apply here too: temperature control balances cooking and browning, season the chips when they come out of the oil and are still hot.
With two exceptions: chips made from a particular plaintain (நேந்திரங்காய் [nénthirânkāi], not வாழைக்காய் [vāzhaikkāi]), and from unripe jack fruit (பலாக்காய் [pâlākkāi]). In these two cases, when the chips are half-way fried, you add some brine directly into the oil. It explodes, foams, bubbles, but eventually subsides. This is rather destructive to the oil. A whole bunch of solids sediment at the bottom, and the oil doesn’t last very long.
But when the chips emerge from the oil, they are perfectly seasoned. I learnt this technique from my grandmother. Even though we are Tamil, she was strongly influenced by Malayali cooking techniques, and those two fruits are mostly used in Malayali cooking.
Given the drawbacks, why do it this way? Importantly, why do it this way only for these two kinds of chips? I asked Alton Brown when he was in town, but he called my grandmother stupid, so I had to shiv him.
Does anyone else know?
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I thought you soak them in brine for half an hour before frying. But can’t argue with grandma. Grandma knows best.
Posted by: Niket at July 22, 2005 4:58 PM
Grandma knows best.
Not always. :p
I’m with Alton Brown on this one. Who in their right minds would pour brine into oil? Oil and water are not destined to work together, folks. You’re practically asking to be inflicted with oil burns from the oil and water mixture exploding.
I don’t fry bananas often, but I would imagine that rubbing some salt into them and let them sit for an hour would start the process of osmosis and let the salt seep into the flesh of the banana. It’s far safer anyway.
Posted by: MadMan (Ze Chef) at July 26, 2005 12:44 AM
U dont “pour” brine- u sprinkle it. when getting cooked in oil, these musilaginous vegetables create a colloidal effect in the oil and absorb the seasoning better. Otherwise they form an impermeable coat when cooked that cannot be penetrated by salt or chilli powder. Further, marinating them first prevents proper cooking of these hardy vegetables as the little water available in them will get leeched out and if u pat them dry on paper, then they get browned and lose the seasoning. Grams knows best!
Posted by: blokesablogin at August 8, 2005 11:52 PM
My dear fellow, most fruits and vegetables are upwards of 90% water. What do you mean by “little water available in them”?
(Since we’re talking about bananas, I’m told they have something like 76% water content in them.)
Posted by: MadMan (Ze Chef) at August 10, 2005 1:27 AM