Deep Fried Spinach Chips

Snacking nowadays is either a must or a guilty pleasure.  Kitchen pantries and refrigerators are usually filled with tons of goodies and ready-to-eat food, compared to one which have to be prepared. This is one of the reasons why we are facing the obesity and hemorrhoid epidemic: over snacking and bad food choices lead to various health problems, both major and minor.

It’s never too late to dispose of those unhealthy foods that will dramatically increase the calorie counter.  Enforcing a healthy lifestyle takes a lot of discipline, time, and commitment on your part.  Though the road ahead seems tough, it doesn’t mean you can’t munch on extremely tasty and healthy snacks. Deep fried spinach chips is only an example.

Crispy deep fried spinach chips are  delicious and healthy snack dish.  Although this favorite of Popeye’s doesn’t exactly give you anchor-strong muscles, a hundred grams of the stuff guarantees a steady amount of vitamin A, dietary fiber, and calcium, making it healthy snack. It is also relatively easy to prepare. Prepare some freshly cut leaves, dip them in flour batter and deep fry until golden brown and crisp. 

These chips are rather famous in Indonesia.  As for the taste, they taste like regular potato chips.  Really a scrumptious snack.  If you want more flavor, prepare a cheese or sour cream dip, or any of your favorite dipping sauce.  The dish should serve immediately after frying to preserve the crunchiness, but it stays crispy for a few days in an airtight container.

Deep Fried Spinach Chips

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         2 bunches of fresh spinach, trimmed and rinse

·         200g rice flour

·         3 tablespoons tapioca flour

·         1 cup thin coconut milk

·         A dash of salt

·         Vegetable oil

·         50 ml water

To grind coarsely in a blender

·         4 shallots

·         5 garlic cloves

·         8 candlenuts

·         ½ teaspoon coriander

·         ½ teaspoon cumin

·         1 inch turmeric

Directions:

1.       Pat dry the separated spinach leaves, set aside.

2.       Grind coarsely the spices with about 5 tablespoons of water.

3.       Place the flour in a large bowl. Mix in the coarsely grinded spices, coconut milk, and salt. Add in an additional of 50 ml water. The batter should not be too thick or too watery either,  enough to cover the spinach leaf.  Check the salt and add more if necessary. Set aside for about 10 minutes.

4.       Dip one spinach leaf at a time and deep fry in medium hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Turn occasionally.

5.       Drain excess oil on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         2 ikat daun bayam segar, cuci dan bersihkan

·         200g tepung beras

·         3 tablespoons tepung tapioka

·         1 cup santan encer

·         Sedikit garam

·         Minyak sayur

·         50 ml air

Bumbu halus

·         4 siung bawang merah

·         5 siung bawang putih

·         8 butir kemiri

·         ½ sdt ketumbar

·         ½ sdt jinten

·         1 inch kunyit

Cara:

1.       Keringkan daun bayam yang sudah dicuci, sisihkan.  

2.       Giling semua bumbu  dengan 5 sdm air sampai halus.

3.       Tambahkan bumbu halus ke dalam campuran tepung beras dan tepung tapioka.  Tuang santan dan beri sedikit garam. Tuang 50 ml air sedikit demi sedikit sambil diaduk sampai adonan tidak menggumpal dan sedikit encer. Tambahkan lagi garam bila perlu. Biarkan selama 10 menit.

4.       Celup daun bayam ke dalam adonan dan goreng dalam minyak panas-sedang sampai tepung berwana kuning kecoklatan.

5.       Angkat dan tiriskan.  Sajikan selagi hangat.