Chili Oil Shootout

It's the "hottest" condiment of the past few years - and there are many great ones out there.

If you can get your hands on a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp then you’ll taste what I, and I’m sure many would agree with, is the commercial “category definer”. It’s like the Heinz Ketchup of the chili crisp world. It’s sold online and at every single Asian grocer. Mild, funky, classic.

What is it? well, it’s effectively an infused oil that’s meant to be drizzled over anything and everything. It’s genre exempt, I just had some Hot Crispy Oil on the scrappy remains of yesterday’s Penne alla Vodka. They are perfect to make a quick bite straight from the fridge feel special, rather than rushed.

However, using this condiment solely as a means to spice up cold food, is obviously not the intention, this stuff takes dishes to the next level. Back in my private cooking days, I’d do a variation of black lentils with the Blank Slate Sichuan Oil - it’s so numbing that the starchy protein of the lentils, and the fat of the gorgonzola really mellow the whole thing out for a unique side dish that will have people saying; “what is that?” In an ago of all home-cooking using simple ingredients and everything tasting the same, that’s a nice, new reaction.

Lastly, I’ll say this, if you’re looking for a clear winner - there isn’t one. I’m not of the belief that perfection exists, there are too many possible outcomes in all facets of life. There are only products and services with an exceptional amount of care put into them, each of those are excellent. Each of these falls into that excellent category.

Also, for my tastes, only the Momofuku and the Blank Slate oils are really, really “spicy” more on that as you read on.

Here are my pitches on each, pick the one that you think you’d enjoy most - Let’s go!

I tested by putting each oil, solids and all on a piece of Avo-toast.

thanks for reading, please spread this write-up to friends and family!

-FC

Hot Crispy Oil

Hot Crispy Oil

4/10 spice

8/10 aromatics - Fennel and crispy shallots galore

10/10 texture - Lots of crispy bits

Sweet and salty, fennel seed forward with other perfumes that are exciting and that I cannot place, but I like them a lot. If your perception of chili oil is that it will only work with Asian style foods, you are incorrect. Pasta, avocado toast, Ice cream! Pizza, farro salad. I think the best part of this one is that the ratio of crispy bits to oil remains balanced until the last spoonful. Others can be light on the solids and this changes the experience as the jar runs low.

Frankie Score: 90% (combo of aromatics and texture, more spice doesn’t equal better).

Momofuku Chili Crunch

Almost no aroma on the nose, but that could be a result of my tastebuds being absolutely slammed, nay, overwhelmed by the spice. Leave it to Dave Chang to knock your socks off with heat. I can handle a lot of spice/heat, but if you grew up with intense heat in many meals, you may be able to pick up more nuance than I. I was sweating on bite two.

9/10 spicy - The combo of mushrooms and garlic sweetness and pastiness that makes the tie back to gochujang apparent. Spice lingers, quite garlicky. Facial skin pores will open.

6/10 aromatics - It’s sweet and there’s a lot going on, but after 2 bites it can be hard to place anything due to the highly spicy nature. I’d expect nothing less from Chang who always seems to punish me for enjoying his wonderful food.

10/10 texture - Sesame seed crunch, ideal solids to oil ratio.

Frankie Score 80%

Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

It’s safe to say that Jing created the artisanal chili crisp category - so if you’re looking for the “new original” this is that.

7/10 spice - Light on the Sichuan, which is more numbing than spicy, a good balance for those that are new to this “sensation”.

9/10 aromatics - The preserved black beans and garlic give a fermented sweetness that’s lovely. This is a common ingredient in Sichuan cooking, which I’ve had but only at Han Dynasty - needless to say, I have a taste memory, and this invokes that.

8/10 texture - There’s a gummy viscosity to some bites which creates pockets of umami since it sort of globs, and the oil carries the essence elsewhere on your plate. These globs are are fermented mung bean / mushroom situation that is unique to say the least. Downside is that there’s a lot more oil than solids, be mindful of using an 80/20 ratio of oil to solids and you’ll finish the jar with the same mixture that you started with.

Lovely on Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Icecream, I tried it.

FC Score 85%

Hakka-ish

Hakka•ish

Ideal solids to oil ratio.

Fennel seed forward, love it, salty and sweet. Aromatic, heavy on umami thanks to mushroom powder - used it up faster than the others - with Hot Crispy Oil and Fly by Jing falling in line as my second favorites. The problem with this condiment is that I bought it in Indiana - it’s made in Canada, and the shipping costs more than the product. But for readers in the northern states Bordering Canada, you may be in luck at a local shop.

4/10 spice - Equivalent to black pepper in the quantity of 5-10 twists of the mill.

8/10 Aromatics - described above.

9/10 Texture - Perfect solid to oil ratio - great until the last spoonful, and this was that last spoonful.

FC Score 85%

Blank Slate

Blank Slate Sichuan Chili Oil

This has by far the most Sichuan peppercorns - they’re not so spicy, they’re numbing. In Sichuan cooking, this is referred to as Ma La - ma being the numbing effect and La being the spiciness. In the Blank Slate Sichuan Chili Oil, the Ma is so intense that it tastes like if hitting your funny-bone were experienced as a flavor. Your mouth will be confused, numb, then tingly. A long secretion of saliva will come to wash it away followed by a change in the flavor profile to an almost sour state. It’s pretty intense. It’s the sort of thing I’d expect served with Twice cooked fish and charred leaks (like at Han Dynasty) Fatty things will really help balance this out.

Spice 7/10

Aromatics 8.5/10

Texture 8.5/10

FC Score 70%