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History: Chili Crisp or Chile Crisp Is A Crispy and Spicy
History: Chili Crisp or Chile Crisp Is A Crispy and Spicy
or chile crisp is a crispy and spicy condiment, a type of hot sauce, made with fried chili
pepper and other aromatics infused in oil, sometimes with other ingredients. Multiple homemade and
restaurant-original versions exist. The best-known commercial brand is Lao Gan Ma, which
combines the numbing flavor of Sichuan pepper with crunchy roasted soybeans.
Chili crisp originated in Chinese cuisine. It has been described as going with anything and
everything. Multiple variations have been developed.
Contents
1History
2Description and ingredients
3Flavor profile
4Uses
5Production
6See also
7References
History[edit]
Infused-oil hot sauce condiments have been made and used in China for centuries.[1] Regional
variations developed.[1] In southern China it is more common to simmer the ingredients in the oil,
while in the north it is more common to pour hot oil over the ingredients.[1] Households[2] and
restaurants developed their own versions, and in China "almost every restaurant makes their own",
according to chef and restaurateur Lucas Sin.[1]
In 1997, Chinese restaurateur Tao Huabi began the first commercial production of chili crisp
in Guizhou under the Lao Gan Ma brand, which quickly became popular[1][2] and eventually became a
Chinese pantry staple.[3][4] It was not widely known internationally until the late 2010s and became
particularly popular in the US during the coronavirus pandemic.[1][5][6][7] The New York Times called it "a
quarantine cooking need".[8] The condiment has a fan base often described as "cult-like".[9][6][clarification needed]
Flavor profile[edit]
Chili crisp is savory, salty, spicy, and oily.[2][5] Today described chili crisp as "a flavor bomb, incredibly
nuanced, usually spicy, full of umami".[1] The Los Angeles Times described the flavor as "the salty,
crackly pleasure of potato chips with a just-right amount of tingling chile heat".[2] New York magazine
described it as "balanced the way sriracha is, only with more crunch and oomph".[11] Chili crisps
containing Sichuan pepper create ma-la, an "intense heat and numbing sensation" typically
associated with mala.[1][12][13]
Besides the actual flavors, much of the appeal is often attributed to the texture.[1][5]
Uses[edit]
It has been described as being good with "anything" and "everything", including desserts.[1][5][2][13] Sam
Sifton described it as "magical" and "a condiment to improve all it touches".[8] Lucky Peach listed it
among their pantry staples, saying:[14]
Do you need this? Not quite. Do you want this? Most definitely ... a signifier to other food nerds that
you crossed the sriracha river into the land of freaky-deaky hot sauces that will never be trendy.
Chili crisp is typically used as a condiment rather than as a cooking ingredient.[1][7] It is used to top
many different dishes, such as avocado toast,[1][5] tacos,[1] eggs,[5][2] fish,[2] vegetables,[2][5] salads,[15] fruit,
[5]
grains,[16] peanut brittle,[9] or vanilla ice cream.[1][5][12][17] It is spooned onto or stirred into soups and
broths.[1][5] It is tossed into noodles or used to top them.[1][5] It is used as a dip or spread.[1]
Jing Gao, who makes an artisan chili crisp, called topping ice cream with the condiment an example
of hei an liao li, a term used on the Chinese internet for bizarre food combinations that translates to
"dark cuisine".[17][12][9]