Chinese food fans baffled discovering what crispy seaweed is made from

If you’re a fan of Chinese takeaways, chances are you have a go-to dish that you order time and time again. And no Chinese meal is complete without a side dish or two, with prawn crackers and crispy seaweed being particularly popular choices.

However, it seems many people are unaware of how crispy seaweed is actually made, leaving them baffled when one fan shared her recipe.

A TikTok user, @angelica.jells, recently shared a recipe for making crispy seaweed at home, and her revelation left many feeling “lied to” their whole lives.

As reported by The Mirror, it turns out that the savoury snack is not made from seaweed at all, but rather from cabbage or another leafy green vegetable.

Angelica, who loves ordering crispy seaweed as a takeaway, recreated the dish herself and was amazed at how easy it was.

She wrote: “So the idea of crispy seaweed not actually being made of seaweed really baffled me, I felt lied to!

“I had to recreate it, and it was honestly so easy, all you need is green leaves and some seasonings! The fish flavour actually comes from ground-fried tuna, which is just crazy to me! Making this instantly gave me all the nostalgia and reminded me of Chinese takeaways I used to eat as a kid!”

In her TikTok video, Angelica explained all you need are green leaves and some seasonings to make the dish. She revealed the fish flavour typically associated with crispy seaweed comes from ground-fried tuna, which she found astonishing.

Angelica sliced the greens finely and suggested using cabbage if farmer’s greens are not available. She then dried the leaves for a few minutes until they became crispy, drained them on a plate lined with tissue, and added sugar, salt, and a little MSG for seasoning. To achieve the authentic Chinese takeaway taste, she included ground fried fish.

The end result was a plate of crispy “seaweed” that looked absolutely delicious. People in the comments section praised Angelica for sharing the recipe and helping them recreate the dish at home. Many expressed their gratitude and excitement to try making it themselves.

While some suggested parboiling the green leaves before frying to remove any bitterness, others mentioned the possibility of air frying as an alternative cooking method.

Angelica agreed that air frying could work well and also revealed the greens she purchased only cost 71p, much cheaper than the inflated prices charged by some local takeaways.

Someone said: “Wow! Thank you so much for sharing! I know what I’m eating this weekend!”

This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].