What are Crispy Fried Shallots?
Crispy Fried Shallots – or Crispy Asian Shallots – are a heavily used pantry staple in my world. It’s a store bought Asian garnish that’s widely available these days in the Asian aisle of grocery stores, but cheaper in Asian stores (~ half price!). I use it frequently as a garnish in all things Asian, from soups to salads, poke bowls to curries. Instant crunch and salt! They’re also a useful substitute for recipes that call for deep fried onion or similar (like Biryani, Green Bean Casserole). What they are – It’s simply slices of eschallots – called shallots in the US (hence the product name) – which are fried until crispy then seasoned with salt. It comes in jars and packets – here’s a common brand at large grocery stores in Australia. Here’s another common brand you find at grocery stores:
What I use them for
Think of Crispy Fried Shallots as the Asian equivalent of croutons. They add crunch, pops of salt and make everything better! I use it regularly because it’s an effortless way to finish a dish, adding texture and extra flavour simply by opening a jar. Sometimes I use a little sprinkle if it’s just adding a little extra to a dish. Other times, I will be extremely generous. Just sprinkle until you’re happy! Here’s some examples of the variety of dishes I use it in. This is a Spicy Asian Zucchini finished with a good shower of Crispy Fried Shallots. And here’s a Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup and a Yellow Curry, both sprinkled with crispy shallots: And a beef soba noodle dish and salmon salad: And one more example – a quick and easy Chinese Rice Soup! Anyway, there you have it. I use it so frequently I found myself writing the same thing over and over in recipes. So I decided it might be handy to do a little About post I could link to. Hope you found it useful! – Nagi x
You might also find my Asian pantry essentials useful
There are 6 basic sauces that are used for over 45 recipes. Find the list here!
