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Slap chips
Soft vinegar chips
Slap chips: Johannesburg's soft, vinegar-soaked chips eaten from paper
Order chips at a corner café in Hillbrow or a fish-and-chip counter in Soweto and they come limp, pale gold and steaming, shaken with salt and drenched in vinegar until the paper bag goes see-through. Slap means floppy in Afrikaans, and that is the whole point: these are not the crisp, crunchy fries of a burger chain but thick potato batons fried at a gentle heat until fluffy right through, then left to sweat in their wrapping so the vinegar soaks in. People eat them on the pavement with their fingers, stuff them into a half loaf as a chip roll, or pile on chilli sauce and atchar. Frying them too hot is the classic error, because the outside browns and hardens before the middle is cooked. Chef's tip: use white spirit vinegar rather than malt and the chips stay gluten free, with a sharper, cleaner bite.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb potatoesa floury variety such as Maris Piper or Russet, peeled
- 6 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- 1 ½ tsp fine salt
- ¼ cup white spirit vinegarmalt vinegar is also traditional but contains gluten
- 4 tbsp chilli sauce (optional)to serve
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut 2 ¼ lb potatoes into thick batons about 1.5 cm square. Rinse them in a bowl of cold water, swishing them around until the water runs clearer, then drain and pat very dry with a clean tea towel.
Step 2: Heat 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep, heavy pot, filled no more than a third full, over a medium heat to 325°F. Use a thermometer if you have one: much hotter and the chips crisp before they soften.
Step 3: Lower in half the chips and fry, moving them gently now and then, until they are a pale straw colour and a chip squashes easily between your fingers (careful, it is hot).
9 minStep 4: Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper and fry the second batch the same way. Do not crowd the pot, or the oil cools and the chips turn greasy.
9 minStep 5: Tip all the hot chips into a large paper bag or a bowl lined with greaseproof paper. Scatter over 1 ½ tsp fine salt and pour over ¼ cup white spirit vinegar, then fold the bag shut and shake well.
Step 6: Leave the bag closed for 2 minutes so the chips steam and go properly floppy, soaking up the vinegar. Serve straight from the paper with 4 tbsp chilli sauce on the side.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does slap chips take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of white spirit vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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