Crispy Fried Shallots

An important accompaniment to any dish especially in South-Eastern Asian cooking is to have some crispy fried shallots. The Vietnamese often use this as garnish and to add texture to soups and stews. Shallots are easy to grow and taste great straight from the garden for this garnish.

This amount will produce 100g (½cup) of crispy fried shallots. The amounts are easily adjusted depending on how much is needed at the time.

Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons frying oil- maize oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil will do.
• 12-14 medium banana shallots and very thinly sliced. If the shallots are too wet, pat dry with a paper towel. 

Preparation: 

1. Heat the oil in a wok, deep frying pan or skillet  to a point where it is hot but not smoking.
2. Pat the shallot and dry. Add the slices to to the frying oil and stir-fry for about 2 or 3 minutes until these are browned and golden crispy.
3. Drain off the fat on a paper towel.
4. Don’t overdo the frying as they can get soggy with oil. 

Store in an air-tight jar to retain as much crunchy texture as possible.