Chili Crisp
Chili crisp is a crunchy, savory Chinese chile oil condiment loaded with crispy fried garlic, shallots, and chiles, spooned over nearly anything for heat, crunch, and umami.
How to buy
Check the jar for a thick layer of visible crispy bits -- fried garlic, onion, chile flake -- rather than mostly oil, since that solid layer is the whole point. Brands vary widely in heat and saltiness; Lao Gan Ma is the classic mass-market reference, while newer artisanal brands lean more complex with fermented black beans or numbing Sichuan peppercorn.
How to store
Refrigerate after opening to preserve crunch and prevent the oil from turning rancid, though many brands are shelf-stable unopened. It keeps for several months refrigerated; always use a clean, dry spoon, since added moisture spoils it faster.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Savory, garlicky, and moderately spicy, with umami depth from fermented or dried ingredients beneath the chile heat -- more complex and less one-note than plain chili oil.
- Texture
- The oil itself is thin, but it suspends crunchy fried bits of garlic, shallot, and chile flake that give a satisfying crackle in every spoonful.
- Aroma
- Toasty and garlicky with a sharp chile bite up front from the hot oil infusion.
How to prepare
- Spooned over finished dishes — Added as a finishing condiment on eggs, noodles, or rice rather than cooked further.
- Stirred into dressings — Mixed with soy sauce and vinegar for a quick dipping sauce or salad dressing.
- Folded into dumpling sauce — Combined with black vinegar and soy sauce for a dumpling dip.
- Mixed into fried rice — Stirred in at the end for crunch and heat throughout the dish.
Classic dishes
American
- Avocado toast with chili crisp — A modern crossover topping bringing crunch and heat to avocado toast.
- Chili crisp pizza — A finishing drizzle on pizza for a contemporary spicy-crunchy contrast.
Chinese
- Dan dan noodles — Noodles tossed in a spicy, numbing sauce often finished with chili crisp.
- Hot and sour soup — A tangy soup sometimes topped with a spoonful of chili crisp for added heat.
- Xiao long bao dipping sauce — Soup dumplings dipped in vinegar sharpened with a touch of chili crisp.
- Mapo tofu — A spicy braised tofu dish often finished with a drizzle of chili crisp.
- Scallion oil noodles — Simple noodles dressed in scallion oil, frequently topped with chili crisp.
- Dumpling dipping sauce — Soy sauce and vinegar brightened with a spoonful of chili crisp for heat and crunch.
- Congee topping — Plain rice porridge livened up with a spoonful of chili crisp.
- Fried rice finishing drizzle — Fried rice finished tableside with a spoonful of chili crisp for crunch.
- Chili crisp eggs — Soft or fried eggs topped with chili crisp for a quick, savory breakfast.
- Wonton noodle soup — A noodle soup sometimes finished with a spoonful of chili crisp for heat.
- Cold sesame noodles — Chilled noodles in sesame sauce brightened with chili crisp.
- Chili oil wontons — Boiled wontons tossed in a chili oil sauce closely related to chili crisp.
- Noodle salad — Cold noodle salads dressed with chili crisp alongside vinegar and sesame oil.