Crispy potato sticks are tossed in spicy, sweet, and aromatic sauce will get you hooked for sure. Tips for kering kentang garing (crispy) without any chemicals.
Cut the potatoes lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Stack the slices up and then cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick sticks
Soak the potato sticks in fresh cold water for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine too) and then drain off all the water and starch that leaks out. Do not skip the soaking part
Use an absorbent paper towel and pat the potatoes dry
Fry the potatoes:
Preheat about 1 1/2-inches of cooking oil over high heat. When you dip a chopstick into a oil and it bubbles around the chopstick, the oil is ready. Or you can just put one piece of potato in there and if it bubbles and floats, the oil is ready. Lower the heat to medium
You need to fry the potatoes in 3-4 batches. DO NOT dump all at one go. Place the first batch in and fry until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Remove to an absorbent paper towel. Continue frying the next batch.
Prepare the sambal balado
Preheat oil in a large pan/wok. Add the kaffir lime leaves and fry briefly, about 10 seconds or so. Add the rest of the ingredients above and cook until the sauce thickens to a syrup consistency
Add the fried potatoes into the sauce and turn off the heat. Use two spatulas to gently toss the fried potato chips to make sure the sambal is coating the potato chips. Some pieces may be stuck together as the sugar caramelizes and that's normal. Transfer to a serving bowl. The keripik will crisp up as they cool down
To make kering kentang stay crispy:
Spread the kering kentang on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 F (160 C) in the middle rack for 5 minutes. You need to keep an eye on them as there are sugar coating the chips so it may get burned if you bake for too long
Let them cool down completely and they will stay crispy for a really long time. Store them in air-tight container at room temperature