These baked malanga chips are crispy, delicious and easy to make. Malanga is a starchy root vegetable that’s popular in the Caribbean and Latin America. In Cuban cuisine it is used in stews, soups, mashed, boiled, fried, and in this recipe, baked into chips.
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How to select a good malanga root?
When choosing malanga, pick a tuber that is firm all over without any soft spots. Make sure it’s well-formed and free of dents, blemishes, mold, etc. For this recipe, choose a malanga that is fairly thick and uniform throughout (except where it tapers). That way the slices will be roughly the same size.
Store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight until ready to use, same way you store potatoes.
Ingredients
- 12 – 16 ounce Malanga, peeled and sliced thin
- 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Salt, we used kosher salt
You will also need:
- 2 large baking sheets (we used half sheet pans)
- Pastry brush
- Slicer / mandoline
Prep Work
The first thing we need to do is to peel the malanga root. Now, this can be a little tricky. The wiry, thick exterior doesn’t work well with a peeler. Also, be aware that the white inside is very slippery. It’s important to take care when handling, especially when cutting and/or using a slicer.
The best way I’ve found to get that thick peel off is to do it much like you would a butternut squash.
- Cut the ends off to create a stable base.
- Cut it into manageable pieces (two or three depending on its size). Malanga can vary significantly in size. They can range in weight from a couple of pounds to less than a pound.
- Stand the Malanga on the widest part and cut off thin slices of peel working all the way around until it’s gone.
- If you’re working with several pieces, keep the peeled ones in a bowl of cold water to slow the browning process. Rinse with fresh cold water and pat dry once you’re all done.
Use a mandoline / slicer to make thin slices. Make the slices as thin as possible. If the malanga slices are too thick they will not dry and crisp. The texture will be chewy. We set our slicer at 1/32 inch (which was the thinnest available) and that worked out perfect.
Preheat
- Set the oven racks to the middle and the bottom third of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
Prepare the baking sheets
Use a pastry brush to coat the sheet pan with a thin layer of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon of oil per baking sheet should be enough to cover). Repeat with the second baking sheet.
Arrange the sliced malanga chips on the baking sheets. Place them close together but not overlapping. If they overlap the covered edge will not crisp.
Brush a thin layer of olive oil over the chips. Repeat with the second pan.
Bake the chips
- Bake the chips for 15 minutes.
- Rotate the pans (top to bottom, bottom to top)
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the malanga chips are lightly golden and crispy. Check them after 7-8 minutes or so. Once they start to dry and crisp they will brown very quickly. Turn the oven light on and keep an eye on them.
As soon as they get a nice golden brown color remove the pans from the oven. Immediately sprinkle them with a couple of pinches of salt. Serve and enjoy!
You may also like these malanga recipes:
Crema de Malanga – Cream of Malanga Soup
Frituras de Malanga – Malanga Fritters
Puré de Malanga – Mashed Malanga
Cuban Ajiaco – Soup featuring root vegetables including Malanga
Malanga Chips
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounce Malanga peeled and sliced thin
- 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Salt we used kosher salt
Instructions
- You will also need: 2 large baking sheets, Pastry brush, Slicer/mandoline
- Peel the malanga, rinse and pat dry.
- Use a mandoline / slicer to make thin slices. Make the slices as thin as possible. We set our slicer at 1/32 inch (which was the thinnest available).
- Set the oven racks to the middle and the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Prepare the baking sheets: Use a pastry brush to coat the pan with a thin layer of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon of oil per baking sheet). Repeat with the second baking sheet.
- Arrange the sliced malanga chips on the baking sheets without overlapping.
- Brush a thin layer of olive oil over the chips. Repeat with the second pan.
Bake the chips
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Rotate the pans (top to bottom, bottom to top)
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the malanga chips are lightly golden and crispy. Check them after 7-8 minutes or so. Once they start to dry and crisp they will brown very quickly. Turn the oven light on and keep an eye on them.
- When they turn golden brown remove the pans from the oven. Immediately sprinkle them with a couple of pinches of salt.
- Serve and enjoy! Makes approximately 70-80 chips.
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