Recipes

Crispy Fried Shallots

Hom Daeng Tod

Thin-sliced shallots fried low and slow until golden and crisp

Crispy Fried Shallots
Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
4
Heat
mild

Getting fried shallots properly crisp and evenly golden, rather than burnt in some spots and mushy in others, comes down almost entirely to oil temperature. Held steady at exactly 250°F, thin, uniformly sliced shallot rings fry slowly, needing up to five minutes of frequent stirring before the sizzling finally stops and they turn brown. That patience pays off with a topping that shows up across countless Thai dishes, essential to some like Hat Yai Fried Chicken and a welcome garnish on many others, and freezing a finished batch keeps a stash perfectly crisp and ready whenever a dish needs that extra crunch.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Peel the shallots and slice thin and evenly across the grain — uniform thickness is important so they cook at the same rate. Separate the slices into rings.
  2. Heat the oil in a deep pot to exactly 250°F (120°C), using a thermometer and checking it doesn't keep climbing. Getting the temperature right matters: too cool and the shallots turn mushy, too hot and they burn quickly.
  3. Add the shallots to the oil and stir often with a slotted spoon so they float freely and fry evenly.
  4. Fry until the sizzling stops completely and the shallots turn brown, which can take up to 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain well.
  5. Let cool completely on fresh paper towels until fully dry and oil-free.
  6. Use right away, or store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer to keep them perfectly crisp — they turn soggy quickly if left out in humid conditions.

Notes

Freeze the finished shallots in a sealed bag rather than leaving them out — they absorb moisture from the air quickly and lose their crunch, but stay perfectly crisp frozen and ready to use straight from the freezer.

Substitutions

This same technique works for any type of shallot or onion, not just the small Asian variety.