Tahong Chips Jiabong

Method

1. Steam the cleaned mussels with the water until the shells open and the meat is opaque and cooked through; discard damaged shells and mussels that stay closed.
2. Chop or process the cooked mussel meat finely and measure 1 cup for this batch. Strain and reserve a little steaming liquid; refrigerate any surplus meat promptly.
3. Mix mussel paste, tapioca starch, rice flour, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and egg white. Add reserved liquid by teaspoons only until a firm dough forms.
4. Shape into two compact logs, wrap in banana leaves or material explicitly rated by its manufacturer for steaming food, and steam for approximately 35 minutes until firm and the centre reaches 75°C for 30 seconds.
5. Cool promptly in a shallow layer, refrigerating within 2 hours, then chill for at least 4 hours until the logs slice cleanly.
6. Slice paper-thin and arrange in a single layer. Dry in a controlled oven at 75–85°C until hard and brittle, starting checks after 2–3 hours; thicker slices take longer. Do not use the earlier uncontrolled sun-drying alternative.
7. Fry a few dried slices at 180°C; they should puff within seconds. Drain on a rack and adjust drying if they remain chewy.
8. Cool the fried chips briefly on a rack and serve promptly. Crispness does not establish shelf stability; no room-temperature storage life is claimed for this home process.