What Is Chili Crisp?
Chili crisp is a spicy, oily textured condiment that makes everything taste better. It’s typically made with dried chili peppers, oil, spices, and seasonings like sesame seeds or garlic.
It’s commonly used in Chinese cuisine as a topping for noodles and dumplings. One of the most recognizable chili crisp brands is Lao Gan Ma, which is one of the first brands that popularized the idea of chili crisp in China.
How Is Chili Crisp Different from Chili Oil?
Chili crisp and chili oil can sometimes be used interchangeably, but they are two different things. First, chili oil only refers to the infused oil from peppers and other aromatics. You might see a few specks of dried red pepper, but chili oil should only include the flavorful oil. Chili crisp, on the other hand, combines chili oil and other flavorful crispy, aromatic ingredients, such as fried shallots, garlic, sesame seeds, and more.
Chili crisp has two parts: oil and crisp. When comparing different brands of chili crisp, you want to look for the ratio of oil to crisp. Some brands have more oil than crisp, while others have more crisp. What makes each chili crisp special is the infinite varieties of crisp!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 medium scallion
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- Toast or a warm bowl of rice, for serving (optional)
- Furikake, for garnish
