Lifestyle

Fun facts and a recipe to celebrate National Chip Week

To celebrate National Chip Week why not indulge in some fun facts and a brilliant recipe that shows just how versatile and tasty potatoes can be?

Chip Stats

•    Did you know that the fish and chip shop market is worth £1.2bn? This means that every £1 of every £100 spent on food is spent in a fish and chip shop

•    One out of every four British potatoes are made into chips – that’s approximately 1.5 million tonnes/year

•    As a nation we just love our chips and 10% of the entire British potato crop is needed to supply all the fish and chip shops across the country 

•    Fish and Chips are booming in the recession. From March to November 2008, there were more than 548 million visits to fish and chip shops – up 5 per cent from 523 million in 2007

What’s in a chip

The whole nation may be celebrating chips during National Chip Week on 15-21 February 2010, but have you ever wondered what’s in a chip?

•    A 165g portion of oven chips provides more than nine times the amount of vitamin C than a slice of pizza. That’s a third of the Recommended Daily Allowance

•    One oven chip has 8 calories

•    A 165g portion of oven chips contains 267 kcals and 3g of saturated fat

•    For a fast and fabulous midweek meal remember a 165g serving of oven chips with three fish fingers contains just one third of the saturated fat found in a serving of lasagne

•    When Michelle Obama took a 2-day break in London, she treated her daughters to a fish supper in a London pub

•    A portion of chip shop chips contains less fat that a prawn mayonnaise sandwich

•    A portion of takeaway fish and chips contains just 60% of the calories found in sweet and sour chicken, egg fried rice and a portion of vegetable spring rolls

•    Chicken Tikka Masala, pilau rice and a plain naan have 17% more fat that a portion of fish and chips

•    Each 1kg bag of oven chips is, on average, made from a weighty 16 medium sizes potatoes

•    A portion of oven chips contains less than 5% fat 

Top Chip Tips

•    Cut chips chunky - because thick chips absorb less oil than thin ones

•    For speedy low fat oven chips cut unpeeled potatoes into chunky wedges, brush with oil and cook in the oven at 200 C, Gas 6 until golden brown

•    For a light and fluffy chip choose a floury variety like Maris Piper – the chippies favourite potato. But in fact chips can be made from almost any variety of potato

Check out this brilliant, Linda McCartney-inspired, recipe!

WASABI PEA FRITTERS  ‘Inspired by Linda McCartney’ (makes approximately 20 fritters)

Ingredients

For the thick batter:

• 115g            plain flour, sifted
• 2                 medium free range eggs, beaten
• 450g            frozen petit pois
• 2 tsp            Wasabi powder mixed with a little water
• ¼ tsp          ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp          fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1                 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1cm             piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 tsp            soya sauce to taste

For frying:

• vegetable oil

To serve:

• extra wasabi powder and crushed sea salt and chilli dipping oil

Method

1. To make the batter: place the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. Pour in the beaten eggs and carefully mix together to avoid making lumps.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except the frying oil) and mix together – the consistency should be quite thick.
4. Pour 10cm (1/2 inch) of vegetable oil into a large frying pan and heat it until a little of the batter dropped into the oil sizzles immediately.   
5. Place 1 tablespoon of the batter at a time into the oil.  Keep the fritters apart in the pan and fry until they are golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes for each side.  Repeat until all the batter has been used.
6. Drain the fritters on kitchen paper and sprinkle with Wasabi powder and crushed salt to taste.  Keep them warm in a moderate oven until you have cooked them all and are ready to serve with the dipping oil.

© Copyright Linda McCartney 1998 & °Cordon Vert 2009. The Wasabi Pea Fritter recipe features in the Cordon Vert’s Inspired by Linda McCartney course. The course features recipes inspired and from Linda’s recipe books.

For more sensational recipes visit the Vegetarian Society website at www.vegsoc.org