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Category: Chili Crisp

Published on Leave a comment on Fanpi Brothers Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce

When is a chili crisp not a chili crisp? When it's Fanpi Brothers Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce, sold on Amazon described as "Chili Crisp Hot Sauce, 8.75oz Jar, Authentic Chinese Spicy Sauce Condiment". We're always looking for new chili crisps to try. And, at a discounted price off the regular $14.99 for a nearly 9oz. jar, we were willing to take a chance. Caveat emptor.

Fanpi Brothers Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Hot pepper
  • Garlic
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Peanut, sesame
  • Storage: Store in cool, dry place, refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Extremely high
  • Texture: Jarred Mexican pico de gallo
  • Saltiness: Moderate (390mg. per 15gm.)

After we opened the jar, to great disappointment, we searched and found the product described differently. One, as "Hunan-style Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce, Garlic Chili Sauce, and Chopped Chili Sauce". Elsewhere, it's called "Colorful Pepper Sauce", with which our translation of the label concurred. This is a more accurate depiction of what this product is, essentially a Chinese version of a Mexican salsa, and a hot one at that.

No toasted dried pepper flakes. Sadly, no crunch. None of the usual alliums besides garlic. No chili-infused red tint to the oil. All the peppers are soft as if pickled, having only a little raw vegetable crispness. Bottom line: Not a chili crisp.

There might have been potential here for some chili oil-adjacent use, but the bird's eye chili heat was really all we could taste. It totally obscured any of the other seasoning ingredients. The label indicates it's intended for use with rice dishes. We might be able to salvage it by using it as a cooking seasoning, somewhere we can tone down the-over-the-top heat.

We used a translation app to discover the ingredients and other info. The label is entirely in Chinese with the add-on English labeling giving only the nutritional breakdown.

Ingredients

Bird's eye chili, green chili, yellow chili, rapeseed oil, garlic, ginger, crushed peanuts, sesame seed, spices, salt, sugar, MSG, compound seasoning.

More Information

Brand: Fanpi Brothers
Style: Hunan bell pepper sauce
Price Paid: $12.52 / 8.75oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
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Published on Leave a comment on Chuan Wa Zi Classic Chili Sauce

This Chuan Wa Zi Classic Chili Sauce was purchased at one of our local Asian markets, where it appeared to be a new item. It's a store with a vast selection of sauces and condiments, so we just may not have noticed it until now. At $3.99 for an 8oz. jar, we couldn't resist trying something different.

Chuan Wa Zi Classic Chili Sauce jar

Although in a stylized font, the label reads: 辣 "là, spicy, hot", 椒 "jiāo, Sichuan peppercorn", 酱 "jiàng, sauce". Below the Wa! logo, 川娃子 means "chuān, Sichuan", "wá, child", "zi, son", or effectively, "Son of Sichuan", a term which became part of a patriotic rallying cry after a devastating 2008 earthquake. We couldn't find an image online that matched the label design of our jar. Periodic "refreshing" of product packaging seems to be a recurring theme among Chinese food products.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Garlic
  • Aromatic spices
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed, soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high (>60% per label)
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG, IMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame, peanut*
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Medium
  • Texture: Sesame seeds and chili flakes
  • Saltiness: Moderate (350mg. per 15gm.)

If you like sesame seeds, this one has plenty, and they are the primary texture driver, on par with the chili flakes we'd say. The chili is still a little toothsome, maintaining a reasonable degree of toasted crispness.

There's a lot going on here ingredient-wise, and it seems to have a good balance of everything. The chili heat is omnipresent, with a moderate mount of mala numbing from the Sichuan peppercorn*. There's some sugar content, but we didn't necessarily find it sweet. The rest of the flavoring elements-- garlic, ginger, onion, unnamed spices-- have an interesting synergy. It's hard to single any of them out individually, but together it all works.

It's a little on the salty side, not unusual for this type of condiment, but we didn't find it as salty as some.

We're going to go ahead and categorize this one as a chili crisp. The solids are sufficiently al dente, and there's a good amount of allium.

Ingredients Roulette

Here we go again with add-on label ingredients vs. translations of online lists. Our jar's add-on label states what's in the section down below. Being mindful that this is a Chinese domestic market product whose original label contains no English, and therefore must have a label translating nutritional and ingredient info for US sale.

Online, at a vendor site, we found: "Rapeseed oil, chili peppers (>15%), sesame seed, peanuts, Sichuan peppercorns, MSG, salt, onion, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, spices, white sugar, chili oleoresin, paprika oleoresin, edible flavoring." That listing also boasts a far lower sodium content of 159mg. per 15gm.

But, since the jar we purchased was encased in a plastic membrane seal, we were able to remove the add-on label without damage to the jar label. Using Google Lens to translate what was found underneath, we have: "Rapeseed oil, soybean oil, chili peppers (>15%), salt, garlic, sesame seed, Sichuan peppercorn oil, refined seasonings, MSG, white sugar, ginger, onion, yeast, compound seasoning, spices, edible flavorings, DL-malic acid, disodium 5`-inosinate." Note that there is no mention of peanuts, and there are no peanut allergen warnings on this label. *We're also pretty sure what we tasted contains Sichuan peppercorn, which the add-on label does not include, Plus, it's right there in the name of the product..

Most frustrating in all this, is the fact that the manufacturer website doesn't even mention the product. Could it be discontinued?

Ingredients

Per add-on label: Rapeseed oil, soybean oil, chili peppers, salt, garlic, sesame seed, pepper oil, MSG, sugar, ginger, onion, flavored yeast extract, spice, food flavorings, disodium 5'-presenting nucleotide, DL-malic acid.

More Information

Brand: Chuan Wa Zi
Style: Chili crisp
Price Paid: $3.99 / 8.13oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://www.sccwz.com/
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Published on Leave a comment on Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp – Xtra Spicy

We received this FlyByJing Sichuan Chili Crisp - Xtra Spicy as part of a bundle containing a jar each of the four original FBJ chili crisps/sauces from Amazon. Our expectation was just a hotter version of the Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp – Original, but we found it to be more than that.

FlyByJing Sichuan Chili Crisp - Xtra Spicy jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Sichuan pepper
  • Fermented soybean
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed, soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderate (50-60%)
  • Flavor Enhancer: Natural
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: High
  • Texture: Al dente/fine solids
  • Saltiness: Medium (65mg. per 5g.)

We were impressed. This could easily have been just the Original version with some extra chili heat and Sichuan pepper mala numbing, but FBJ appears to have made it more than that. The texture is slightly more coarse, but still not anything approaching crisp or crunchy. The fermented soybean takes on a larger role, even though its position in the order of ingredients remains unchanged. Although the majority of the solids are still muddy, there seems to be more of them, with the shallot being more readily apparent.

If there's one word we could say to compare it to the original version, it would be "more". Everything in the original is here, flavor-wise, just dialed-up about 20%. So, to sum up, if the original version seems tame to you, try this one. It's more in keeping with the flavor sensibilities of traditional Asian market-style Sichuan chili oil condiments.

Ingredients

Non-GMO rapeseed oil, non-GMO soybean oil, dried chili pepper, fermented soybean (soybeans, water, salt, rice flour, spices), garlic, shallots, mushroom powder, ginger, sesame oil, salt, Sichuan pepper, seaweed powder, spices.

More Information

Brand: Fly By Jing
Style: Sichuan Chili crisp
Price paid: $8.75 / 6oz. (4 jar bundle)
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://flybyjing.com/products/xtra-spicy-chili-crisp
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Published on Leave a comment on Chuanzhiwei Hot Chili Sauce

This Chuanzhiwei Hot Chili Sauce came from a local Asian market which stocks a variety of brands of chili oils and chili crisps. We had seen this one reviewed online, and it sounded good. We're glad to have found it locally and at a good price.

Chuanzhiwei Hot Chili Sauce jar

It's also known as "Szechuan Flavor" brand, seen in small print within the logo, but Chuanzhiwei is the brand name given by most Asian online supermarkets. The characters just under the logo read: 川 "chuān, Szechuan/Sichuan", 知 "zhī, to know", 味 "wèi, taste".

Next, at upper left of the product name we have: 香 "xiāng, fragrant", 酥 "sū, crispy". The main, large characters, difficult to make out, allegedly read: 油 "yóu, oil", 辣 "là, spicy, hot", 子 "zǐ, seeds or fruit, i.e the peppers".

Finally, the small gold square at upper right reads: 经 "jing, authoritative" and 典 "dian, standard", together meaning "classic", then 香 "xiāng, fragrant" and 辣 "là, spicy, hot". Altogether, they indicate "classic spicy".

Labeling Inconsistencies
Szechuan Flavor Crispy Chili Oil jar

Further confusing is the same UPC is seen labeled as "Crispy Chili Oil". Additionally, there is yet another UPC also labeled "Hot Chili Sauce" which does not contain peanuts or soybeans. And finally, our jar obviously contains peanuts and soybeans, but they don't appear among the listed ingredients. But there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the label stating "Allergen information: This product contains Peanut, Soybean."

It is our assumption (for now) that what we have in hand has since been renamed "crispy chili oil", and that some confusion surrounding that at the factory has led our jar to be mis-labeled.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Peanuts
  • Soybeans
  • Sesame seeds
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: Medium (~60%)
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: Soy, peanuts, sesame
  • Storage: Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Crunchy, nutty
  • Saltiness: Very low (10mg. per 28gm.)

It's a unique, oddly-shaped container. The lid even includes a little handle that swivels out to make carrying the unwieldy shape a little easier. It's also huge, relatively speaking, at just over a pound and a half net weight.

The solids other than the sesame seeds congregate at the bottom, while the sesame seeds all float at the top. As such, it takes a bit of deftness to stir things up in a way that gets you a somewhat reasonable representation of everything into a spoonful. The rapeseed oil gives it that mellow roundness we like.

The chili heat here is moderate and steady, with the Sichuan peppercorn providing only a modicum of that má là numbing. For those who don't mind this heat level, we could see this one being a daily driver left out on the table for ready use. The label does not indicate that refrigeration is necessary.

The peanuts and soybeans have a good crisp crunch to them, and combined with the sesame seeds give a nice nutty contrast to the chili.

Salt is atypically low for this type of condiment, only 10mg per 28gm. We saw that as a double bonus. One, you can apply it liberally without turning your meal into a sodium bomb. And, two, since salt doesn't dissolve in oil very well (if at all), when you (finally) get towards the bottom of this jar, you won't be left with excruciatingly unbearable levels of saltiness.

No alliums means we're categorizing this one as a chili oil rather than a chili crisp, regardless of the revised name.

Overall, we liked it. It's not reinventing the wheel in this category by any means. But the heat and nuttiness are nicely balanced, making it very approachable. And, finally, it's quite a bargain at $8.99 for just over 24oz. of product.

Ingredients

Rapeseed oil, chili powder, sesame seeds, spices, peanuts, and soybeans.

More Information

Brand: Sichuan Cuihong Food Co, Ltd / Chuanzhiwei / Szechuan Flavor
Style: Chili oil
Price Paid: $8.99 / 1lb 8.69oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
Social media:

Published on Leave a comment on Zhongba Sichuan Chili Crisp

This Zhongba Sichuan Chili Crisp came from Amazon. Our criteria for purchasing it included the intriguing ingredients and the interesting graphics of the label, whose only English language verbiage was, "Chuan Xiang You Lazi" or, translated, "Sichuan style chili oil".

Zhongba Sichuan Chili Crisp jar

Above the wealth god image, the simplified Chinese 送 财 添 味 translates as "sending wealth and adding flavor", i.e. just marketing jargon.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Peanut
  • Sesame
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Peanut, soy, sesame
  • Storage: Keep in cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Nutty crunch
  • Saltiness: Medium (468mg. per 30gm.)

The aroma is promising, subtly nutty. And no wonder, as it has peanuts, sesame, soybean and peas. The chili pepper heat and flavor are well-integrated with the rest of the ingredients, not overshadowing them. We thought we detected a note of some kind of chicken bouillon powder, but it does not appear among the ingredients. The sugar rounds out the flavor profile but doesn't make the overall impression one of sweetness. The MSG also seems judiciously-applied, letting the rest of the ingredients supply the majority of the umami. Were were puzzled by the absence of Sichuan pepper, but in all honesty, didn't miss it in this case.

This one was a pleasant surprise, for both its texture and balanced flavor. We'd get it again.

We had a hard time nailing down the ingredients list. We went back and forth over one item. The Amazon listing said it contains fermented soybean, even going so far as to call it by its Chinese name, "douchi". But we didn't detect the character of it at all. Instead, we relied on a Google Lens translation of the label, that merely said "soybeans", which seemed more accurate to us. But then we went back into the jar for a forensic examination. Turns out there are indeed fermented soybeans in there, but they're smaller, crunchier and saltier than those we've experienced in the past, the Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Fermented Soybeans being our frame of reference.

Ingredients

Rapeseed oil, chili pepper, peas, peanuts, fermented soybeans (douchi), edible salt, white sugar, sesame seeds, monosodium glutamate, spices, paprika, food flavoring.

More Information

Brand: Sichuan Qingxiangyuan Seasoning Co, Ltd.
Style: Chili crisp
Price Paid: $9.99 / 6.35oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
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Published on Leave a comment on Samar Spice Chili Crisp

This Samar Spice Chili Crisp was encountered while browsing Amazon. It appeared to be on sale, so we took a chance. $8 for an 8 oz. jar of a good chili crisp is a bargain by today's standards. Let's see how it is.

Samar Spice Chili Crisp jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Smoked(?) chili
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Sesame
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed (canola)
  • Solids to oil ratio: Medium
  • Flavor Enhancer: Natural (matsutake powder)
  • Potential allergens: Sesame, peanut
  • Storage: N/S (Refrigeration recommended)
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Velvety crunch
  • Saltiness: Low (32mg. per 5gm.)
Samar Spice Chili Crisp and folding spoon

Apparently from China. The label does not specify, only listing the name of the manufacturer, which is headquartered there. It came packed in its own carton with a thank you note and a nifty, folding metal serving spoon. Nice touches.

The jar is plastic and the lid has a tamper-evident ring. Unfortunately, the ring wanted to only partially separate from the lid, so we made use of the spoon to pry it the rest of the way off.

Inside the lid there is a flexible seal ring which, while well-intentioned, allows oil and sesame seeds to get between it and the outer wall of the lid. We anticipate this will cause some drip down the outside at some point.

The solids-to-oil ratio when the contents are settled is about 60/40. The mix of medium and fine solids was a bit compacted at the bottom, so we had to really scrape down into the bottom edges to get a good re-mix before tasting. And we found, going back for a second tasting minutes later, the ingredients had already started to solidify. So, be sure to stir well at each and every serving.

There's a lot going on in here, with well over a dozen non-oil ingredients. We're assuming the goal is both complexity and the achievement of umami without flavor-enhancing chemical additives.

There is a mild heat from the chili, but the Sichuan peppercorn is minimal enough to not produce any of the numbing effect for which it is known. The label touts smokiness, but we weren't really getting much in the way of it.

With so many ingredients fighting for attention, none really stand out individually. Having said that, it still works. There's an overall, spicy, nutty, aromatic, savoriness we found undeniably appealing.

We wondered what matsutake powder was, and found that it is a premium, aromatic seasoning made from ground, dried matsutake mushrooms (Tricholoma matsutake), known for their distinct pine-scented, earthy, and slightly spicy flavor. It is highly valued in Asian cuisine as a natural, savory umami enhancer.

We don't know if we picked up on that particular flavor note, even upon repeated tastings, but with so much else going on in there, it's hard to say.

Overall, we liked this one without any reservations to speak of. Other than the jar closure, and a best by date we thought was closer than it ought to have been, the contents were quite satisfying.

Ingredients

Non-GMO rapeseed oil, chili peppers, peanuts, garlic,sugar, onions, green onions, sesame, smoked chili powder, star anise, cassia bark, cloves, sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, salt, matsutake powder

More Information

Brand: Shenchu (Shandong) Food Technology Co., Ltd. / Samar Spice
Style: Chili crisp
Price paid: $7.99 / 8oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
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Published on Leave a comment on MW Polar Crunchy Black Garlic Chili Crisp

This MW Polar Crunchy Black Garlic Chili Crisp came from Amazon. We were familiar with the MW Polar brand mainly from its tinned fish products. Our satisfaction with them led us to hope we'd like this chili crisp product as well. Did we know what black garlic was? No, but it made it sound all the more intriguing. Let's see if we were right.

MW Polar Crunchy Black Garlic Chili Crisp jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Citric acidity
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: Yeast extract
  • Potential allergens: Soy, wheat, sesame
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Thick and al dente
  • Saltiness: Moderate (310mg. per 15gm.)

The $10.99 price we paid has been steady since its introduction on Amazon about three months ago. We now see the waters are being tested with it being priced at a little over $12.

The initial aroma upon opening the jar was promising. Digging in to stir it up revealed how thick and chunky it is. A very high solids to oil ratio, which we like. There's a fine, crispy crunch to it, reminiscent in some ways of one or more Japanese taberu rayu we've had in the past. But the texture is also pleasantly al dente. As expected, it is very garlic forward, also a plus. The rest of the ingredients are well-balanced, and we liked the subtle hint of vinegary tang provided by the citric acid.

There's just a fascinating complexity to the flavor profile that we couldn't stop tasting. The garlic's not in-your-face, the onion doesn't dominate, the sugar isn't too sweet, the chili doesn't blank your palate, and the soy sauce adds umami without shouting, "Hey, it's me, soy sauce!"

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by how much there was to like about this one. The only questions left are, "Can we find it cheaper?" and, "Do we get two more jars or three?" Don't pass this one up.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, garlic, black garlic, onion, sugar, chili, sesame oil, salt, soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat, sugar, yeast extract), yeast extract, citric acid, paprika extract.

Here's what we found out about black garlic:

Black garlic is regular garlic that has been aged in a warm, humid environment, causing it to turn black with a sweet, savory, and tangy flavor, and a soft, chewy texture, similar to balsamic or molasses. This fermentation process, known as the Maillard reaction, removes the pungent bite of raw garlic, making it rich in antioxidants and popular in cooking for sauces, marinades, and spreads. 

Flavor and texture
  • Taste: Sweet, tangy, and savory with notes of balsamic, molasses, and caramel, lacking the sharp bite of raw garlic. 
  • Texture: Soft, chewy, and jelly-like, often compared to fudge. 
How it's made
  • Fresh garlic is aged at high temperatures (around 140°F/60°C) and humidity for several weeks. 
  • This slow process causes the cloves to turn black and develop their unique flavor and texture. 
Culinary uses
  • Can be used whole, minced, or pureed.
  • Adds depth to sauces, marinades, vinaigrettes, and pasta dishes.
  • Can be spread on bread like butter.
  • Can be ground into a powder for seasoning. 
Potential benefits

Rich in antioxidants, May help lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and May help lower blood pressure. 

Considerations
  • People on blood-thinning or blood pressure-lowering medications should use caution, as black garlic may enhance their effects. 
More Information

Brand: MW Polar
Style: Chili crisp
Price Paid: $10.99 / 7oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://mwpolar.com/products/polar-crunchy-black-garlic-chili-crisp-7oz-multiple-pack-sizes
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Published on Leave a comment on Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil

This Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil came from a local Asian market. We originally thought this was the maker's de facto chili crisp, but we later became aware of a product LKK calls Original Chili Crisp. Unfortunately, even though they sell a broad range of Lee Kum Kee product, the market doesn't stock it.

Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Garlic
  • Soy sauce
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderate
  • Flavor Enhancer: IMP,GMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame, wheat
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Medium
  • Texture: Coarse paste
  • Saltiness: Moderately high (410mg. per 15gm.)

As chili crisps go, this style, or at least this particular one, isn't very crunchy. The texture of the solids is a coarse paste, or as we have seen some characterize it, a confit. Under refrigeration, it's slightly gelatinous.

The first thing that hits you is how salty it is, courtesy of (besides salt, obviously) the salted chili peppers and the soy sauce. Once you get past that, the heat of the chili, the soft garlic and the soy sauce begin to reveal themselves. There's only a little bit of sugar, and it doesn't seem to add anything, as far as we could tell. Outside of the saltiness, everything else is nicely balanced.

There is no actual MSG listed, but there are some MSG-adjacent flavor-enhancing ingredients in its place.

All things considered, we liked the flavor profile, and assume the salt will be mitigated by actually consuming it with food. We really missed the crisp, though, and would have preferred it to have had some actual crunch.

We also tried to nail down just exactly what is meant by "Chiu Chow style", but couldn't come up with a definitive answer. Apparently, garlic and chili spice are key, as are umami additions which sometimes include dried shrimp or fish.

Also available at Amazon.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, water, dehydrated garlic, dried chili peppers, salted chili peppers (chili peppers, salt), soy sauce (water, salt, soybeans, wheat flour), salt, sesame oil, sugar, disodium 5'-inosinate and disodium 5'-guanylate as flavor enhancers.

More Information

Brand: Lee Kum Kee
Style: Chili crisp oil
Price paid: $5.69 / 7.2oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://usa.lkk.com/en/products/chiu-chow-style-chili-crisp-oil
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Published on Leave a comment on Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp – China

This Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp - China is a separate version you may or may not find in local stores. Definitely not the one sold by Walmart. That version is soybean oil-based and has a somewhat different flavor profile from this one, a rapeseed oil-based formula sold in the Chinese market. It can be distinguished from the former by its lack of English labeling, which is only included by way of an added adhesive label. We got this one at a local Asian market that carries both.

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp - China jar

Translated, the characters in yellow on the label read: 香 "fragrant", 辣 "spicy", 脆 "crunchy", 油 "oil", 辣 "spicy" (again), and (obscured by add-on label) 椒 "chili pepper". These same characters appear in yellow ovals on the US export version. For a deeper exploration of the subject, see Decoding Chinese Chili Crisp Labels.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Onion
  • Fermented soybean
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low to medium
  • Texture: Flaky fried chili
  • Saltiness: Moderate (405mg. per 30gm.)

We weren't sure what to expect from this version formulated for sale in China. We assumed it would be pretty much the same as the US export version most likely to be found here. Perhaps the substitution of soybean oil in the US version would add some flavor element that a neutral oil such as rapeseed would not.

What we did find were more in the way of differences in texture and contributions to overall flavor by other ingredients. Basically, we found a little less onion, a little more heat, and a more apparent contribution from the soybeans. We assume the latter are fermented even though the label is non-specific. They are not the crunchy variety, so we'll stick by our assumption.

The texture also differs. The solids lean more to the flaky fried chilis and al dente fermented soybean. The diminishment of onion flavor seems directly related to a loss of most of the onion crunch as well.

One other notable difference stuck out: no added preservatives in this version.

Other Thoughts

The flavors may seem a little "off" if you're used to the US export version. They may seem muted by comparison. Surprising, as our expectation was the US version might be geared toward more of a generic, Western mass market sensibility. We thought, however, after a few separate tastings, that this version is just fine, albeit different from the more onion-forward US version to which we've become accustomed.

The add-on paper label on the jar we bought listed the ingredients as given in the section below. We went a step further and found the following (courtesy of Google Lens translation) on the Lao Gan Ma China website: Rapeseed oil, chili peppers, onion, fermented black beans (soybeans, water), MSG, salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorns.

The question we were left with was, is the version that most in the US are familiar with not really the most authentic after all? And is this Chinese version truly the OG that Tao Huabi originally concocted? Even without those answers, we found there's much to like in both.

Ingredients

Rapeseed oil, chili, onion, soybean, MSG, edible salt, sugar, pepper.

More Information

Brand: Lao Gan Ma
Style: Chli crisp
Price Paid: $4.59 / 7.41oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://en.laoganma.com.cn/?type=productinfo&S_id=115
Social media:

Published on Leave a comment on NPG Sichuan Chili Crisp

We bought this NPG Sichuan Chili Crisp from Amazon after trying the NPG Sichuan Chili Oil. That one was about as close to being a chili crisp without actually being one as we could imagine. We hoped we would like this one as well.

NPG Sichuan Chili Crisp jar

Translated, the upper character reads: 红 "hóng, red", the lower 油 "yóu, oil".

Main Flavor Elements
  • Sichuan chili
  • Fermented black bean
  • Peanut and sesame
  • Warm spices
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Extemely high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame, peanut
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Thick and crunchy
  • Saltiness: Moderately low (137mg. per 15gm.)

This one is super thick and crunchy. At first, we thought the peas and peanuts were just floating on the top, but, no, it's too thick. It's like the solids are just coated in oil, rather than immersed in it. The fragrant aroma of fermented black bean is apparent when opening the jar.

New to us is the inclusion of crispy, crunchy peas. The peanuts are mostly unbroken halves. The fermented black beans are dense and chewy. The sesame seeds are not plentiful, but you can taste them through the pepper.

The application of Sichuan pepper is once again even-handed. It supplies a moderate, lingering heat on the palate, not overwhelming the flavors of the copious solids. The sugar adds a bit of roundness that plays well with the heat and enhances the nuttiness of the sesame and peanuts. While not explicitly listed, we thought we detected star anise among the unnamed "spices".

Sodium is a low 137mg. per tablespoon, so not really that salty at all. Any higher, we thought, would have taken away from the complexity of everything else.

Normally $9.99, we got this one for $7.99 on sale. If you're interested in trying something different from the typical shallot/garlic/chili, this is one to consider. We're going to enjoy working our way through this jar.

Ingredients

 Soybean oil, soybean, pea, peanut, fermented black bean, sesame seed, Sichuan pepper, Sichuan chili, salt, sugar, MSG, spices

More Information

Brand: NPG / Natural Plus Green
Style: Chili crisp
Price paid: $7.99 / 7oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: www.naturalplusgreen.com
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