Shrimp chips substitutes

Cut dry rice paper into pieces and either fry them for two seconds or microwave them for about thirty seconds and they blister into light shattering crisps. The texture is very close to a shrimp chip, maybe a touch more brittle and glassy, and the flavour is clean and neutral rather than shrimpy, so salt them. Completely shellfish free.

Best for

scooping goi and salads, shellfish allergies, using up rice paper you already have, garnish on soups

Microwave on a plate in a single layer with nothing on top. They puff unevenly, which looks rustic rather than wrong. Salt them the second they come out while they are still slightly tacky.

The same product as shrimp chips minus the shrimp, sold as krupuk kanji, emping or simply cassava crackers. They fry and puff identically and have the same light hollow crunch. The difference is a clean starchy taste instead of the savoury seafood note, so a dish that relied on the chips for umami will taste slightly plainer.

Best for

shellfish allergies, vegetarian and vegan versions, any use where texture matters more than flavour

A pinch of fine salt mixed with a little garlic powder, tossed on while hot, closes most of the flavour gap. Check the label, because many krupuk varieties do contain shrimp or fish.

Lentil-flour discs that fry or microwave into large crisp sheets. They are noticeably more savoury and earthy than shrimp chips, often with cumin or black pepper in them, and they are flatter rather than puffy. As a scoop they are excellent because they are large and rigid. Break them into pieces so they behave like chips.

Best for

scooping, serving with grilled meats, widely available in ordinary supermarkets

Choose plain papadums rather than chilli or garlic ones if the dish is delicate. Thirty to forty seconds in the microwave is easier and cleaner than frying.

Cut into strips or triangles and fried for under a minute, these give a sturdy blistered crunch with a wheaty, slightly eggy flavour. Denser and greasier than a shrimp chip, more like a fried noodle crisp, so they are better scattered over a salad than used to scoop a soft dip.

Best for

salad toppings, crunch on soups and noodle bowls, when you already have wrappers in the fridge

Drain them on a rack rather than paper, and salt immediately. They hold their crunch longer than any other option here, up to a couple of days in a sealed jar.

Not remotely traditional and serviceable when the chip is a utensil. Tortilla chips are much sturdier and cornier than a shrimp chip, so they never shatter the same way and they scoop better. Plain potato crisps are closer in delicacy but taste distinctly of potato and fat. Use the plainest, least seasoned version you can find.

Best for

scooping goi or bo la lot fillings at a casual meal, last-minute substitutions, kids

Avoid anything flavoured, especially barbecue, sour cream or lime, all of which fight with fish sauce dressing. Salted and nothing else is the rule.

When you look at what the chips add to a finished plate of goi, a lot of it is simply crunch and a savoury toasted note, and both of these do that better. They cannot be used as a scoop and they change the character of the dish, but the eating experience is not worse, just different.

Best for

goi and shredded salads, congee and noodle soups, topping rather than scooping

Buy crisp fried shallots in a tub from any Asian grocery, and add them at the table so they stay crunchy in the dressing.