02/01/2023
One of my favorite snacks as a kid was spicy/curry tapioca crisps as a teatime for late afternoon. These crisps are potato chips’ exotic, far-flung cousins made with tapioca (also called cassava, manioc, yuca) instead of potatoes and shellacked in a sweet, spicy, tangy coating. Like crack, I couldn’t get enough of it, my taste buds craving more as my fingers popped crisp after crisp into my mouth on autopilot.
Why tapioca? For starters, this root is more commonly grown in Asia. Carbohydrate-rich and easy to grow, it was a staple during World War II when food was scarce. Tapioca starch is often used in place of corn starch for cooking. Do you like Taiwanese bubble tea? Well, those pearls are made from tapioca, as are the tiny translucent ones you find in pudding.
When my mom visited last year, she was eager to make her version of these tapioca crisps for me. She calls them kripik (how cute is this word!), the Indonesian word for bite-sized crackers and the counterpart of Western chips or crisps. Potato chips would be called kripik kentang. Try saying that three times in a row!
