Orange Chips
Apparently three quarters of people in the UK have never heard of orange chips?! I can’t get over this because I grew up on this chip shop special and I’m struggling to comprehend how so many people have missed out on these babies. But it’s not too late! Grab your spuds and let’s go.
Erm, what even is an orange chip?
These are a West Midlands STAPLE in fish and chip shops and are basically an orange coloured chip with a battered coating. The orange-ness comes from a dash of turmeric mixed in with the batter, however some people like to use paprika or even food dye if they want it extra fluorescent. It’s one of those recipes where no-one can fully agree on the how it should be done, but this is my take and I’m very happy with it! I hope I’ve done the Midlands proud.
Moving on…when making these, you’ll start off like any standard chip, but after the first initial fry you’ll then coat each individual chip in your homemade batter and deep fry again for that fluffy inside and crunchy outside. Who says you can’t batter everything on your plate?! I wouldn’t be a true Brummie gal if I didn’t rep these.
If you don’t live within driving distance to the Black Country, this recipe should give you a taste of what you’ve been missing!
And for those of you outside of England:
West Midlands – an area of England, home to Tommy Shelby.
Black Country – an area within the West Midlands.
A Brummie – someone from Birmingham, UK.
A Yam Yam – someone from the Black Country, Birmingham.
We also gave the world Ozzy Osbourne, Peaky Blinders, the Weasley twins and Birds custard. Did I mention we’re also the home of Cadburys chocolate?
Tararabit x
Ingredients
- 2-4 maris piper potatoes
- 300ml-400ml lager
- 100g plain flour
- Pinch of tumeric
- Drop of red food colouring
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3 litre of vegetable oil
Method
- Peel and cut your potatoes into thick cut chips. As even as you can get them. Get them in a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil.
- Boil them for 5-7 minutes then carefully drain them and lay out on a cooling rack. Leave a tea towel over them for 3 minutes so that they dry out a little.
- To make the batter, mix the plain flour, beer, turmeric, colouring and salt together until smooth. Use less or more beer to make a smooth but thick batter. You want to stick to the chips but still be light and fluffy.
- Get your oil in a large saucepan or deep fat fryer and get to 180°C.
- Once the chips have dried and you have your batter, place a piece of parchment paper under them and using a spoon or whisk and drizzle over the batter so that the chips have a light, odd coating. Give them a turn and do the same on the other side.
- Once the oil is up to temperature add a few chips in at a time. And cook until completely golden all over and the batter has crisped up, this might actually take longer than you expect it so just keep an eye one them. WHENEVER YOU ARE DEEP FRYING NEVER LEAVE IT ALONE! Then carefully receive from the pan and on to kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
- Continue to cook the chips in batches, then season with flaky salt.