If you’ve skimmed the social media food channels recently, you’ll have heard of Chili Crisp. It’s a new condiment that’s getting mega-buzz. And mixed reviews. So I’m presenting my usual fair, balanced report on the phenomenon to let you decide for yourself…
Chili Crisp comes in as many variations as there are folks who make it….
Chili Crisp is officially described as a wet condiment. But it’s definitely not a sauce or even a paste. And that’s what makes it crunchy. Its essentially a mixture of fried, dried chili peppers and other ingredients in its own oil. But it isn’t actually chili oil, either…
A definitive definition
Trust omni-wise Wikipedia to come up with the ultimate definition of Chili Crisp: “A type of hot sauce, originating from Chinese cuisine, made with fried chili pepper and other aromatics infused in oil, sometimes with other ingredients. Multiple regional, homemade, and restaurant-original versions exist across China. The best-known commercial brand is Lao Gan Ma, which is based on the chili crisps of Guizhou province. Chili crisp is closely related to Chinese chili oil, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, the difference being that the crisp contains edible chunks of food in the chili oil.”
So… The current food mania surrounding the stuff is clearly not so much about the chili as the crunch. But the mania itself is also a defining characteristic of the Chili Crisp craze.
Hot stuff…
If you’ve used Chili Oil in Asian recipes, you’ll know a very little goes a very long way – especially on Western palates. Chili oil is concentrated heat.
So chili oil packed with chili solids and other aromatics is bound to be even more – shall we say, ‘assertive’?
Why the fuss?
What’s so special about Chili Crisp? It seems the crunch you get biting into anything topped with the condiment is the main attraction – and the known, expected ‘heat bomb’ is secondary.
But I maintain that appeal is limited to those who prize the burn over the flavour. I’ll be glad to reiterate my own spice mantra anytime someone raves about ‘how hot they can take it’. I say a dish is too spicy if you can’t taste the actual food in it over the heat.
But Chili Crisp fans insist you can enhance anything with it – from eggs to ice cream. If you think that’s an excessive claim… I agree. In fact, I say it’s downright silly.
My take
One Chili Crisp booster posting in Gastronomic Salt lake City, Stuart Melling, actually states, if you’re only just finding out what Chili Crisp is, “I’m not sure we can be friends.”
He insists CC is important enough to the world that he needed to taste-test and rank the top 9 supermarket brands. This from a man who openly admits, “at any given time my fridge is approximately one-third full of hot sauces, oils, and a wife-patience-testing lack of adult food.”
If Stuart is representative of the Chili Crisp-loving majority, I think the relative probity of Chili Crisp mania, within the greater gastronomic world, speaks for itself…
~ Maggie J.