With Chinese New Year just days ahead, it’s hard not to get into the festive mood. So have you done all your CNY shopping and preparations? Have you stocked up on mandarin oranges, bakua and gifts for your family and friends?

If you have no idea what to bring when you are visiting on CNY, here’s a budget friendly idea, deep fried arrowhead chips (ngaku). It only cost a few bucks for a bag of around 15 – 20 pieces raw arrowheads which you could make it into 2 – 3 bottles of yummy chips.
 

Another reason it will make a great gift is that it’s deliciously addictive and everyone knows that it takes time and TLC to prepare the perfect chips. I didn’t really like the chips before this but after mom made it this year, i couldn’t stop eating!

Though i suggest you buy a small bag of arrowheads for trial and error purposes LOL.
 

First you need to peel the skin with a peeler. I prefer a fruit knife because it’s more flexible. Cut of the bottom but make sure that you do not cut or break off the head portion – you might need to hold the head when you are slicing the arrowhead else you might hurt your fingers on the slicer.

Rinse the arrowheads with water. Using a slicer, slide the arrowhead against the blade to make prefect thin slices.

Rinse the sliced arrowheads with water again to remove the sap. Then proceed to soak them in salt water for at least 30 mins so you won’t need to season them with salt after later.

Drain the arrowheads and leave to dry.
 

Bring the oil in the wok to almost boil then deep fry the arrowheads over medium heat (else the chips will turn out burnt) until it is slightly golden brown.

Remove the chips and drain it on paper towel.

Here’s where it becomes tricky. You do not want to remove them too early from the oil else the chips won’t be fried thoroughly and will turn out soggy but bear in mind that once you remove the chips from the oil it will continue to cook and turn even more golden so do not leave it in the oil for too long either.
 

Leave the chips to cool before storing them in air-tight containers.

Stick a nice red angpau packet on the side of the container and there you go, a delicious CNY gift for your family and friends!
 

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year and Great Prosperity & Health on this Year of the Dragon! Gong Xi Fatt Cai!