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1
Combine the tapioca flour, minced garlic, salt, sliced spring onion, and minced chicken if using in a bowl. Work in enough warm water, added gradually, to bring the mixture together into a firm, cohesive dough that holds its shape without cracking at the edges.
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2
Divide the dough into equal portions and press each between the palms into flat discs of even thickness — approximately 1 cm. The dough must be compacted firmly; a loose disc will break apart in the oil. This is where the dish lives or dies: a disc pressed too thin will harden entirely on frying; too thick, and the centre remains raw and gummy rather than achieving the required chewy interior.
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3
Heat the oil in a deep vessel to frying temperature. Lower the discs in batches, without crowding, and fry until the exterior is crisp and a deep golden colour and the surface blisters lightly. The dough will swell and firm at the edges while retaining a yielding, chewy centre.
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4
Lift the cireng from the oil and drain briefly on a rack or absorbent paper. The crust should sound distinctly crisp when tapped; the interior, when broken open, should yield with a dense, elastic chew.