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Published on Leave a comment on Super Lucky Elephant Chili Crisp – Lemongrass

This Super Lucky Elephant Chili Crisp - Lemongrass came from Amazon. We tried the shallots version, and were reasonably impressed. The notion of a lemongrass-forward crunchy oil sounded interesting.

Super Lucky Elephant Chili Crisp - Lemongrass jar
Super Lucky Elephant Chili Crisp - Lemongrass label
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Shallot
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Lemongrass
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rice bran
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high (~60%)
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Crispy shallots
  • Saltiness: Moderately high (480mg. per 30gm.)

As we noted above, we were intrigued by the lemongrass focus. The addition of it, ginger or other fragrant aromatics can do much to elevate an otherwise pedestrian chili oil condiment.

Our expectation was that this version would be substantially similar to the shallots version. Digging down with a spoon, the solids-to-oil ratio is again about 60/40. Even though dried chili pepper is first on the ingredient list, the solids appear to be mostly garlic and fried shallot, in non-uniform pieces. They are crisp and crunchy as expected, and don't possess any of the bitterness often associated with over-frying.

The contribution of chili flavor is again minimal. Any heat it provides lurks just under the surface of the other flavors. There are visible flakes of dried chili, and the ingredients here again include a small amount of bird's eye chili.

The flavor profile is largely garlic and fried shallot, then salt, then sugar. The lemongrass is not as well-represented as we would have hoped, showing up more as a subtle aftertaste. Perhaps it will bloom when actually applied to food.

The rice bran oil base is neutral and clean as anticipated, not interfering of the spare ingredient list. No flavor enhancers present nor do any seem necessary.

We're sticking by our assessment that the lesser amount of dried chili flakes makes it more a crunchy oil. While the fried allium/salt/sugar combination is again well-balanced, we were hoping for more from the promised lemongrass.

A Caveat About Rice Bran Oil

As directed, we refrigerated this one and its shallots counterpart after opening the jars for sampling. When we went back for a re-visit of each, the oil had congealed into an orange, sort-of pudding consistency gel. We therefore recommend letting this and other rice bran oil-based chili condiments come back to room temperature before consuming.

Ingredients

Rice bran oil, dried red chili, fried garlic, lemongrass, salt, sugar, fried shallot, bird's eye chili.

More Information

Brand: Otis McAllister, Inc. / Super Lucky Elephant
Style: Crunchy oil
Price paid: $9.99 / 6.7oz.
Country of Origin: Thailand
Manufacturer website:
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Published on Leave a comment on Hot Crispy Oil – Original

This Hot Crispy Oil - Original was found at Home Goods, which sometimes has a stray jar or two of such condiments. It was priced at $9.99 with the notation "compare at $13.00". We've found the comparison prices there to often be inflated above what a product typically sells for, and sometimes even the sale price is no better than purchasing through the item's regular channels. An online search in this case found a prevailing price of $14.99 at Amazon, so, apparently, we did OK.

Hot Crispy Oil - Original jar
Hot Crispy Oil - Original label
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Chili pepper
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Olive
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Store in cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Large, crispy solids
  • Saltiness: Very low (50mg. per 14gm.)

We could see through the glass the solids were huge. Slivers of garlic and slices of shallot, not just small chopped up pieces. They had settled to the bottom two thirds of the jar, but stirring them up a bit held them in a homogenous suspension long enough to spoon out a portion representative of all the ingredients.

The first taste of a small spoonful was revealing. The chili heat didn't hit until the back of the throat, where at first it seemed a bit mild. We were really amped about the very macro-style solids. The garlic and onion flavors are very forward, but we couldn't help thinking how much more umami they could have brought to the party with the addition of some kind of flavor enhancer, or even just a tad more salt. But they were quite crispy, as the name promises.

With a subsequent spoonful, the chili heat became cumulative, more pronounced, and we had to take a moment to fight off a sneeze attack. We assume consumption with food will mitigate this effect. The label only says "proprietary dried hot chili pepper blend" and "red pepper flakes", but doesn't specify what peppers are involved. We're also led to wonder how much hotter the "Hot" version is.

Cane sugar is listed, but we wouldn't characterize the product as sweet. We thought a little more might have actually gone along way to overcome a slight bitter aftertaste that we attributed to the shallots.

We noted the label indicates ground ginger and cumin, but even though we tried really hard, we weren't able to detect a meaningful contribution from either of them. They're last on the list, so the amounts must be trivial.

Olive oil is an unusual base for chili crisp/chili oil products, and we're not sure how we feel about it. Products including it that we've tried in the past have been "Made in USA", and with a focus on healthier ingredients, no allergens, no artificial flavor enhancers, vegan, etc. They lacked the chili heat of this one, though, so perhaps it was their blandness rather than the olive oil that makes us question its use in this application.

We usually think of chili crisps as having more chili solids than this product. That, and the olive oil lead us put this one in the "new wave" category.

All things considered, we're glad we were able to give this one a try. Is it hot? Yes, somewhat. Is it crispy? Yes, definitely. But we doubt we'll go looking to spend $15 for more of it.

Ingredients

Olive oil, fried garlic, fried shallots, proprietary dried hot chili pepper blend, red pepper flakes, cane sugar, paprika, salt, ground ginger, cumin

More Information

Brand: Hot Crispy Oil, LLC
Style: New wave
Price paid: $9.99 / 6oz.
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer website: https://hotcrispyoil.com/products/hotcrispyoil-hot-chili-garlic-oil
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Published on Leave a comment on S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil – Spicy

We really like the mild version of this S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil - Spicy, so we hoped making it "spicy" wouldn't ruin what drew us to that other version. Let's check it out.

S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil - Spicy jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Chili
  • Onion
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Corn, sesame
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG IMP,GMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame, wheat
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate
  • Texture: Crunchy
  • Saltiness: Medium (105mg. per 5g.)

We really like the S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil - Mild version, so we wanted to see what a spicy take on it might be like. As with the other, the slivers of crunchy fried garlic really make the texture here. And other than the elevated heat, we thought everything else was about the same. Fortunately, the extra heat doesn't overwhelm, and actually plays nice with the myriad other ingredients.

On thing we did notice, however, was that the extra heat tends to negate the imaginary peanut flavor of the mild version. Still, we liked it, even though classic taberu rayu isn't supposed to be about the heat.

Ingredients

Corn oil, chili pepper, fried garlic (garlic, palm oil), sesame oil, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, salt, fried onion (onion flake, rice oil), sugar, chili paste (chili pepper, salt, rice), soy sauce powder (soy sauce [soybean, wheat, salt], dextrin, salt), ground sesame, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, tocopherols (antioxidant).

More Information

Brand: S&B Foods, Inc.
Style: Taberu rayu
Price paid: $7.49 / 3.88oz.
Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer website: https://www.sbfoods-worldwide.com/products/search/036.html
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Published on Leave a comment on Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic

Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic is from Japan and made in the taberu rayu style. It's often sold without additional labeling in English, so getting an idea of what it's about up front can be somewhat difficult. The head of garlic and the chili pepper on the label give a clue, but there's a lot more than meets the eye here. We got this one from Amazon.

Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Sugar
  • Sesame
  • Onion
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed, sesame
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: No Yes
  • Potential allergens: Wheat, sesame, soybean
  • Storage: Store away from direct sunlight. Refrigerate after opening.
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Crunchy
  • Saltiness: Low (256mg. per 16gm.)

It's not too salty, if both our calculations and what our tastebuds are telling us are correct. The translation of the nutritional information isn't in the standard format.

One look at the ingredients, and you'll see there's a lot going on in there. So much, in fact, it's difficult to isolate the individual components from a sample tasting. Suffice it to say, however, they have a synergy that works quite well.

We appreciated the high solids to oil ratio, and the satisfying level of crunchiness. And we definitely liked how, similar to the S&B, it has a peanut-y character without actually containing any peanuts. Definitely going to switch out peanut sauce for this one, the next time we have spring rolls.

A little pricey at around $8 for 3.88 oz, but we think worth it.

Update: The latest jar we obtained now has ingredients listed in English. We had previously used Google Lens to translate the Japanese on the jar itself. While many ingredients are the same, just worded differently, two glaring differences stood out. One, the addition of MSG, and two, the deletion of a seasoning and an antioxidant.

Ingredients

Edible rapeseed oil, fried garlic, edible sesame oil, chili pepper, fried onions, MSG, sugar, salt, chili miso paste (contains soybeans), paprika, ground sesame, onion powder, powdered soy sauce (contains wheat), powdered chili miso paste, seasoning (amino acid), antioxidant (vitamin E).

More Information

Brand: Momoya
Style: Taberu rayu
Price paid: $7.77 / 3.88oz.
Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer website: https://www.momoya.co.jp
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Published on Leave a comment on Micro Pharms Crunchy Garlic Oil

This Micro Pharms Crunchy Garlic Oil came from Whole Foods, who sells it alongside a Fried Chili Oil version. We thought it a little pricy, but wanted to try both.

Micro Pharms Crunchy Garlic Oil jar
Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Sesame
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Olive, sesame
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: Natural
  • Potential allergens: Sesame, nuts
  • Storage: Keep in a cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Nutty crunch
  • Saltiness: Low (60mg. per 14gm.)

One of a few we've seen with an olive oil base. We noted the oil on both this one and the Fried Chili Oil version was kind of cloudy, which we chalked up to an interaction with something else, likely the sesame oil or the garlic extract. The solids have a nutty crunch, obviously from the almonds, with a secondary texture via the onion. While the crunch was there, we found ourselves wishing for a little more heat or salt. Perhaps the other version referenced fills that want.

Ingredients

Olive oil, fried garlic, chili flakes, fried onion, almonds, sesame oil, sea salt, garlic extract, spices

More Information

Brand: Micro Pharms
Style: Crunchy oil
Price Paid: $8.79 / 6oz.
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer website: https://www.micropharms.com
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Published on Leave a comment on S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil – Mild

S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil is from Japan. While similar in many ways to traditional Chinese chili crisps, it has its own sensibility that is distinctively Japanese.

S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil label
S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil - Mild sample
Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Fried garlic
  • Sesame oil
  • Monosodium glutamate
  • Onion powder
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Soy sauce powder
  • Chili paste
  • Fried onion
  • Almond
  • Ground sesame seeds
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Corn, sesame
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG IMP,GMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, wheat
  • Storage: "Consume soon after opening"
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Mild
  • Texture: Satisfyingly crunchy
  • Saltiness: Moderately high (540 mg. per 30 gm.)

As with many taberu rayu, the crunch is the thing, and this one's got it. As expected, the main flavor here is garlic, and there are plenty of crunchy fried slivers in the mix.

The crunch to oil ratio is quite high, similar to that of the Lao Gan Ma chili crisp. Refrigerated, it almost turns into a solid.

What we enjoyed about it most was the combination of ingredients giving it a peanut-y character, even though there are no peanuts in it. We also found this to be true of the Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic, which we very much liked. Both are similar, although the S&B has a tad more chili flavor.

As the label notes, heat-wise it is mild. A "spicy" version also exists for those who want a little more heat.

Ingredients

Corn oil, Chili pepper, Fried garlic, Sesame oil, Monosodium glutamate, Onion powder, Salt, Sugar, Soy sauce powder (Soy sauce [Soybeans, Wheat, Salt], Dextrin, Salt), Chili paste (Chili pepper, Salt, Rice), Fried onion, Almond, Ground sesame seeds, Disodium guanylate, Disodium inosinate, Mixed tocopherols.

Revised Formula

A "new formula" of the S&B Mild version removes the almond in favor of extra onion and an adjustment of the ratios of some of the other ingredients. It has the same UPC code, so it is a replacement, not a new variant. It will also be about 11% lower in sodium. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to detract from the satisfying level of crunch. Jars with "best by" dates of November 11, 2026 and after will contain the new formulation.

Available on Amazon.

More Information

Brand: S&B Foods, Inc.
Style: Taberu rayu
Price paid: $7.49 / 3.88oz.
Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer website: https://www.sbfoods-worldwide.com/lp/us/umamitopping/
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