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Category: Southeast Asian

Published on Leave a comment on Sunlee Fried Chili in Oil

This Sunlee Fried Chili in Oil came from a local Asian market. We were browsing other aisles of the store, and found this one in the Vietnamese section.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Hot chili pepper
  • Garlic
  • Onion
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Palm
  • Solids to oil ratio: Super high
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Keep in a cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Blazing hot
  • Texture: Thick, coarse paste
  • Saltiness: Zero (0mg. per 15gm.)

We weren't sure what we were getting into with this one. A local chef was busy filling his basket with a nearby product, and we struck up a conversation about chili oil and chili crisps. He recommended this one. At only $5 for a large 14oz. jar, we took a chance.

What struck us initially was how thick this was for a "chili oil". So thick, in fact, it's difficult to get it off the spoon. It wants to stick like glue or, well, close to it. No wonder that the chili pepper is the first ingredient on the list.

The jar is also labeled Dầu Ớt Chiên, a Vietnamese term meaning "fried chili oil", which sounds innocuous enough until you taste it. The first sampling was almost painful, it's that hot. So hot, in fact, the garlic and onion flavors are totally overwhelmed by it. But if it's heat you want, it's heat you got with this one.

We thought, "maybe tasting it alone is not the way to go here", and mixed a scant teaspoon into some beef with greens and rice. Things went well, for a minute or so, but the heat cut through, lingering, persisting and putting us into a full-on face and scalp sweat.

We can only recommend this one to the most ardent of chili heat lovers. Wish us luck in figuring out what to do with the remaining 13.5oz.

Ingredients

Dried red chili, palm oil, garlic, onion.

More Information

Brand: Sunlee
Style: Fried chili in oil
Price Paid: $5.00 / 14oz.
Country of Origin: Thailand
Manufacturer website: https://www.sunleeusa.com/product/d571sl14-sunlee-fried-chili-in-oil-24x14-oz-400-g/
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Published on Leave a comment on Sunlee Fried Crispy Chili with Peanut in Oil

This Sunlee Fried Crispy Chili with Peanut in Oil also came from that new-to-us Asian market. The wording on the label checked all the boxes: crispy, chili, peanut. And the price was right, $5.49 for a towering 11.25oz. jar.

Sunlee Fried Crispy Chili with Peanut in Oil jar

The Chinese characters above the English name read: 花 "huā, flower", 生 "shēng, raw, fresh" but together 花生 = "peanut", then 油 "yóu, oil", 辣 "là, spicy, hot", 椒 "jiāo, pepper".

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Sugar
  • Citric acid
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG, IMP,GMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, peanut
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Soft and jammy
  • Saltiness: Moderate (500mg. per 30gm.)

Another of those jars sealed to resist nuclear attack. We used the rubber jar thing, two in fact. One on the lid and the other to grasp the jar. Not until we put it into a full-on WWE headlock and bore down with all our might did the lid release.

Well, the name checked all the boxes, but the payoff was not as expected. The chili wasn't really crispy, nor was anything else. And the peanut, well, let's say there's peanut in here like there's pork in a can of pork & beans. That is to say minimal, a paltry amount, an afterthought. And the four peanuts we did find, all near the top, weren't the least bit crunchy.

Once again, all of the fried allium and the crunch and umami they bring are absent. No onion, shallot, nor even garlic. What's going on here? This stuff is from Thailand. Our mouths should be burning with heat and garlic, our faces sweating. But no.

Having said all that, we did like it for what it was. A nice, jammy chili concoction just spicy enough not to offend sensitive palates, but accessible enough to put on just about anything. And liberally.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, chili, peanut, sugar, salt, flavor enhancers (MSG, disodium 5'-inosinate, disodium 5'-guanylate), acidity regulators (citric acid) .

More Information

Brand: Thai Lee Foods / Sunlee, Inc.
Style: Chili in oil
Price Paid: $5.49 / 11.25oz.
Country of Origin: Thailand
Manufacturer website: https://www.sunlee.com/sauces-pastes/sunlee-fried-crispy-chili/
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Published on Leave a comment on Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch – Vegan

Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch - Vegan is one of two products from Homiah, the other "Original" contains shrimp and garlic. This version eliminates those two in favor of a healthy amount of nori seaweed. Normally a bit pricy at $11, we got this one while on sale at Amazon for $8.67.

Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Nori seaweed
  • Onion
  • Coconut sugar
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Sunflower
  • Solids to oil ratio: Very high
  • Flavor Enhancer: Natural
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Sandy crunch
  • Saltiness: Very Low (35mg. per 5 gm.)

The ingredients list chili, but it's hardly evident, failing to even outshine the nori or the sugar. The label touts "50% less oil" and indeed it appears to barely have any, belying the fact that sunflower oil is first on the list. Even at room temperature, the product is a shaggy amalgam of its ingredients loosely held together by very little oil.

Rather than crunchy, we'd characterize the texture more as coarsely gritty, but not in a bad way. The nori and sugar make for an interesting combination, but we found ourselves wishing for a little more from the onion and chili. Yeast extract apparently replaces MSG as a flavor enhancer, but not enough to call attention to itself.

All in all, an interesting flavor profile, but not chili enough to be considered a chili crisp nor oily enough to be a crunchy oil. If, however, you want non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, vegan, low sodium and keto friendly, this one's got you covered.

Ingredients

Sunflower oil(high oleic), onion, chili, nori seaweed, salt, unrefined coconut sugar, yeast extract.

More Information

Brand: Homiah
Style: Southeast Asian crunchy condiment
Price paid, $8.67 / 6oz.
Country of Origin: Malaysia (dist. by Homiah, Inc, Brooklyn NY)
Manufacturer website: https://www.homiah.com/products/sambal-chili-crunch
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Published on Leave a comment on JHC Ground Chili with Fried Garlic

This JHC Ground Chili with Fried Garlic was found at that same cross-town Asian market. We were browsing several other sections of the store to see what other products similar to chili crisp were available. Looking through the jar, it appears to be a chili crisp-type product. Upon opening and trying it, we found it's not crispy at all. But it has qualities we liked, and so we've decided to include it here. For now, let's call it chili crisp adjacent.

JHC Ground Chili with Fried Garlic jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Garlic
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy, shrimp (produced in a facility that uses peanut, sesame, fish and crustacean shellfish)
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening, use within 30 days.
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: High
  • Texture: Soft, a coarse paste
  • Saltiness: Low (110mg per 15gm.)

If you like it hot, this one's for you. As we said, this product of Thailand is chili crisp adjacent. It's actually what should be called Nam Prik Pao, a classic Thai chili condiment. There's a texture to it, albeit a soft one. The oil and solids do separate somewhat, so a little stir before use is in order. We called it a coarse paste, but it's not homogenous enough to really be one. Maybe more like "pulp in oil".

The lemongrass is subtle, but it's there, adding a certain something to the heat. We can only guess the shrimp is included for a bonito flake-ish umami, but it's hard to detect over the heat and garlic.

The heat lingers long in the mouth, with a slight sichuan peppercorn-like numbing on the lips. Similarly, it also induces the scalp perspiration that hot chilies are known for. Be careful with this one, it can sneak up on you. You've been warned!

Ingredients

Soybean oil, garlic, chili, shallot, water, lemongrass, MSG, sugar, salt, dried shrimp, paprika color.

More Information

Brand: JHC / Jack Hua Co. Ltd.
Style: Ground chili with fried garlic
Price paid: $3.49 / 7oz.
Country of Origin: Thailand
Manufacturer website: https://j-limited.com
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