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Got something starchy? Fry it in oil! It's the American way!

I'll admit that I'm being lazy here. Two recipes, one HTML page. Hey, they're both made pretty much the same way, so I'm being economical, not lazy. Yes, that's the ticket.

Anyway, which are you going to fry?

• If it's taro root, peel it - tips on that here - and then slice it into thin coins, 1/8" thick. Or you can use a peeler to slice it even thinner. When you've got it all peeled put it in a colander or strainer and rinse it to wash off the white juice. Shake out as much of the water as you can.
• If it's lotus root, it should be parboiled for 10 minutes and sliced into coins, again about 1/8 thick.

After you've prepared whatever you're gong to fry, get a frying pan and heat up about 1/4" of oil to 300-350 degrees. When the oil is hot, put in the sliced stuff, a few pieces at a time, spreading the pieces out so they don't stick together. Cook them until they start to brown. Taro chips will brown on the edges but remain light in the center. Lotus will brown just a little on the surfaces. After one side browns, turn them over and let the other side cook. When both sides are nicely browned, remove that batch of chips from the oil, set them on a paper towel to drain, and press another paper towel on top to blot up the oil on the top sides. Repeat with the next batch until you run out of stuff to fry.

A variation: lotus root can be fried on an oiled frying pan, as opposed to frying in a pan of oil. The process and result is pretty much the same; they just brown slightly differently.

After frying, lotus root will be firm. Taro root will be crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, and will taste good with salt.