Parmesan Chips

When we lived in Hong Kong, we used to love the bread basket from The Lobster Bar at the Island Shangri-La Hotel. Our favorite was their olive tapenade pinwheels and parmesan chips.

This recipe is definitely inspired by that.

My husband loves to snack after work while I am getting dinner ready. He is usually starving when he gets home, as he is often too busy in the afternoon to eat a snack. He loves cheese, especially the hard varieties. So to stop him from eating a whole cheese platter before dinner, I decided to prepare some satisfying, cheesy snacks that aren’t too filling. That way, he can wait for 30-45 minutes until dinner is ready.

When we lived in Hong Kong, we used to love the bread basket from The Lobster Bar at the Island Shangri-La Hotel. Our favorite was their olive tapenade pinwheels and parmesan chips. This recipe is definitely inspired by that. These chips are great to serve as a pre-dinner party snack, because you can make big batches and keep them in the fridge. (Since they’re made of dairy, I feel more comfortable storing them in the fridge instead of at room temperature.)

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 block of Parmesan cheese (the standard triangle packing that you found in most supermarkets)
• Dried oregano

Recipe Preparation

Preheat oven with grill function and fan assist to 180C.

Line a full-size baking tray with parchment paper (the one that comes with your oven, or one that’s as wide as your oven, if possible). 

Use a fine grater (I use Microplane) and grate six individual Parmesan mountains onto the tray, keeping as much space between each mountain as possible. 

Use your fingertips or a fork to spread out or flatten the little mountains into a round shape.

Sprinkle a little oregano on top of each Parmesan circle and place the tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 7 minutes or until they start to turn brown. Remove from oven and let them cool completely so that you can remove the chips from the tray with a thin spatula.

To make sure they stay crispy, let them air dry for about 10 min, and try not to seal them in an airtight box too soon. Once they are cooled completely, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight box for about a week.

Modify this recipe with dried chili flakes or your favorite herbs.