Chili Crisp
Delicious & Spicy Recipe for Chili Crisp
After years of having worked on my own chili crisp recipe at home, it is finally time to share it with the world. I have turned so many family and friends onto chili crisp with this recipe, I’m sure you will love it too!
When my obsession with Chili Crisp began
A few years ago, I remember seeing the rise of Laoganma’s Spicy Chili Crisp on social media. E-VE-RY-ONE was raving about it. I didn’t get the hype at the beginning. Why was social media crazy about spicy oil with crispy garlic, onions, and a bunch of other stuff in it? Then, thinking about it, it all made sense and I had to try it for myself.
While going for chinese food with friends, I tried this famous chili crisp. Initially, I thought it was quite spicy (I know, very white of me), but delicious. I finally understood the hype; it is bold, a bit in-your-face. It is spicy, umami, crispy, basically everything you want it to be. This quickly became my favorite condiment ever, and I was slathering chili crisp on pretty much every food I was eating: breakfast, pizza, noodles, anything that could benefit from the kick of this amazing condiment.
Following this epiphany, I was now buying jars of chili crisp every few weeks. I was buying any chili crisp I could find on any shelf in any store. But quickly, I realized that many brands were jumping on the trend, making their own chili crisp, and selling every jar for crazy amount of money. I mean, not literally crazy, but some were up to $15 for a tiny jar.
Then began this new journey of making my own chili crisp at home. Watching recipe after recipe, I was trying to find the best one. Tired of searching, I realized I could just create my own based on a few recipes I had seen online and adding my own twist to it. I tried different ratios, more spicy, less spicy, more sugar, less sugar, to get to this point. And now, after many, many iterations, here is my very own chili crisp recipe.
Why you NEED to make this Chili Crisp recipe
This condiment is the best addition to your weekly rotation. It goes with pretty much anything. I made roast chicken last week; guess what I put on the chicken when serving it? YES, chili crisp! As I mentioned, I also eat it with breakfast in the morning. I used to rely on sriracha for a spicy kick with my eggs, but chili crisp has taking that spot. Honestly, the only thing I don’t use it for at this point is dessert… wait should I?… maybe not.
If you do like a little bit of spiciness in your food, I highly recommend making this. It might be too spicy at the beginning, but you’ll get use to it as you eat it. And I guarantee that you will get used to the spiciness, cause you’ll find yourself putting this chili crisp on everything like I do.
Table of Contents
Use this guide to help you navigate through this recipe. You’ll find the full video, the detailed instructions and the full recipe at the end.
How to make this Chili Crisp recipe (VIDEO)
Chili Crisp Instructions
Step 1. Prepare your spices
In a heat-safe bowl, combine all of your dry spices: chinese chili flakes, crushed red chili flakes, sugar, and salt. We will pour the hot oil over them to bloom them for maximum flavor in the end. Set aside for now.
Step 2. Prepare the garlic and shallots
We need to thinly (1/8″ to 1/4″) slice your garlic cloves and shallots before moving on to the next step. You can use a mandoline to get even slices, just make sure that you keep your fingers away from the blade. You can also use a knife if you prefer.
Step 3. Fry your garlic and shallots
I initially would fry my garlic cloves and shallots in the same sauce pan. Since posting this recipe, I have updated the way I do it. I now fry the shallots first, as they take longer than the garlic cloves. I also alternate between a sauce pan and a stainless steel skillet. Both options are just as good, but I slightly prefer the skillet as you can see all of your garlic or shallots while frying. You end up with an even fry on all of it.
Step 4. Rest your garlic and shallots aside
After frying both the garlic cloves and the shallots, I like to rest them on a paper towel-lined plate. The paper towel will absorb the excess oil and ensure you get the crispiest fried aromatics in your chili crisp.
Step 5. Pour the (hot) oil over the spices
After removing the garlic and shallots from the oil, I like to warm up the oil a little bit more. The temperature of the oil tends to drop when frying, so I like to raise it back up for 20-30 seconds. We don’t want to burn the spices, but we want to ensure they will bloom and we need hot oil for that. When I feel like it is hot enough, I will pour it over the spices.
Step 6. Stir the spices in the oil and set aside
When pouring the oil over the spices, it will start bubbling. Do not be scared, it is normal and everything will be fine. After all the oil is added to the bowl, we will stir the spices to ensure no clumps is created and maximize the flavor. Then, set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 7. Add the condiments to the bowl
Now that the oil has cooled, we can add the rest of our ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup (yes, I am québécois after all!), and sesame seeds. You want to make sure the oil has cooled before adding them to not burn the condiments. While being at room temperature, the maple syrup will be able to melt into the mixture, with the mirin and soy sauce.
Step 8. Stir in the fried garlic and shallots
After adding the rest of our ingredients, we can add the garlic and shallots back in the chili oil to turn it into a chili crisp. And there you have it! Your very own homemade chili crisp.
Chili Crisp
Ingredients
Method
- Combine Chinese Chili Flakes, Crushed Red Chili Flakes, White Sugar and Salt in a heat-safe bowl. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the shallots and the garlic cloves (roughly ⅛ of an inch or 3 mm).
- Heat up the Avocado Oil in a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat.
- Slowly add the thinly-sliced shallots to the oil. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Fry until light golden-brown. Remove the shallots from the oil and set on a paper towel lined plate to rest.
- Slowly add the thinly-sliced shallots to the oil. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Fry until light golden-brown. Remove the garlic from the oil and set on the same paper towel lined plate (with shallots) to rest.
- Pour the hot oil over the spices in the heat-safe bowl. Stir well to distribute the oil through the spices. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
- Once the oil-mixture is cooled, add the soy sauce, maple syrup, mirin, and sesame seeds to the bowl, and stir. Then, add the fried shallots and garlic, and stir.
- Pour the chili crisp into a jar and keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.