[Home Grown Chef]

Does anyone out there know the science behind these mysterious snacks? If you don't know what I'm refering to, they are these crunchy chips that we serve at my restaurant. They start out as what looks like little pieces of colored plastic - totally unedible - but when you fry them, they puff up 2-3x their original size and become crunchy; similar to cellophane noodles. The ingredients on the tub they come in lists: Starch, Salt. Does anyone know the secret behind this? Any help at all would be great.
Thanks!
~Jimmy

[greyeaglem]

All I know is you get them at Asian markets and I love 'em. Some are made with wheat and some are made with corn starch. I like the corn starch ones best. I've never seen the ones you fry yourself. The ones I buy are in a bag like potato chips. Years ago we had something on that order. They were cheese flavored wheels that looked like a dry noodle until you threw them in the fryer. Then they'd puff up. They don't appear to have any liquid in them (like a popcorn kernel does) so I never did know how they worked.