Crispy Fried Garlic Chips (Tỏi Phi)

Slice or chop your garlic cloves in your desired shape. I like using a mandolin with a cut-proof glove to get ultra-skinny slices, but be careful if you don’t have a glove.

Deep-frying: Use about 1 ½ inch of oil from the bottom of your pot and heat it up to about 300 °F. (I used about 2 cups of vegetable oil for my 3.5-quart pot). Add your garlic and swirl to ensure all the garlic is properly coated and cook until it’s lightly golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Do not leave the pot unattended because it goes from pale to brown quickly. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Pan-frying: Use a small pan to combine the garlic and just enough oil to cover the garlic. Pan-fry until they are slightly golden brown (they continue to brown and cook after you transfer them), about 3-5 minutes, and move them onto a paper towel to drain.

Serve the fried garlic fresh after it’s cooled to the touch.

You have the option to save the deep-frying oil once it’s cooled down for later use. (Note: if you end up burning the oil from too much deep-frying you should not reuse this oil. Signs of burned or overused oil are dark brown coloring and smells burned).