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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 NPG Sichuan Chili Oil

While this NPG Sichuan Chili Oil doesn't say "chili crisp" on the label, it certainly seems to qualify as one. NPG does, in fact make a product they call Sichuan Chili Crisp, but it is labeled as being milder than this one. Normally $11.99, we paid $8.48 on sale at Amazon.

NPG Sichuan Chili Oil jar
NPG Sichuan Chili Oil sample

The upper characters translate as: 拌 "bàn, mix, for mixing", 菜 "cài, vegetables, salad". The lower characters read: 红 "hóng, red", 油 "yóu, oil".

Literal: red oil

Main Flavor Elements
  • Sichuan chili
  • Complex aromatics
  • To a lesser extent, peanut and sesame
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Very high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderately high
  • Texture: Thick and chewy
  • Saltiness: Moderate (205mg. per 15gm.)

This one is super thick and chewy. According to the label, it shouldn't be. There seems to be nothing in the first few ingredients on the list to support how coarse and plentiful are the chili-like solids here. However, further research reveals that pixian broad bean paste, a condiment unto its own, is made with a fair amount of chili pepper. So, what we're getting texturally must be the the skins of those beans and the chilis used to make it.

Peanut and sesame seed are listed, but they aren't visually apparent, nor easily identifiable on the palate. Only under close inspection are they revealed.

The application of Sichuan pepper is even-handed. The numbing effect it's known for isn't flagrant, and its spice works well with other, aromatic components. Together, there is a fragrant, floral, fruity heat that makes this one quite special. Did we just use the word flagrant in one sentence and the word fragrant in the next? Yes. Yes, we did.

At this point, we're going to backtrack a bit. Based on the lack of onion, shallot or actual soybean, we're going to rethink considering this one a chili crisp, and let the chili oil designation stand. But that doesn't mean we didn't like it.

Note to salsa macha lovers. If you like the La Anita Salsa Macha - Morita Pepper, you definitely need to try this one.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, pixian broad bean paste, soy sauce, vinegar, peanut, ginger, garlic, sesame seed, sichuan pepper, sichuan chili, salt, sugar, MSG, spices

More Information

Brand: NPG / Natural Plus Green
Style: Chili crisp
Price paid: $8.48 / 7oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://www.naturalplusgreen.com
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Published on Leave a comment on Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil

This Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil is a variant of its chili crisp sibling. While Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp has a complexity all its own, this one offers a slightly different take more reminiscent of Sichuan chili crisps. While it characterizes itself as a chili oil, we classify it with chili crisps due to its preponderance of chili solids.

Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil jar
Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil sample

Translated, the characters in the yellow ovals read: 老 "lǎo, old", 干 妈 "gān mā, godmother, and 油 "yóu, oil", 辣 "là, spicy", 椒 "jiāo, chili pepper". 老干妈 also appears under the logo (where it makes more sense), but in a stylized font. For a deeper exploration of the subject, see Decoding Chinese Chili Crisp Labels.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Peanut
  • Sugar
  • Prickly ash (see below)
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy, peanut
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Medium
  • Texture: Chunky, chewy
  • Saltiness: Medium (510mg. per 30gm.)

Here, we have peanuts replacing the fermented soybean of the Spicy Chili Crisp. We also have the addition of prickly ash powder, which brings a subtle numbing effect similar to sichuan peppercorn.

What is prickly ash, you ask? Well, it's related to sichuan peppercorn, both being derived from plants in the genus Zanthoxylum. To illustrate the difference, it may be said that all Sichuan peppercorn is a type of prickly ash, but not all prickly ash is Sichuan peppercorn.

If you're a fan of what prickly ash brings to a chili crisp recipe, it's commonly available powdered in the spice aisle of Asian markets.

We're a bit perplexed by this one. Nutritional information varies widely as pertains to sodium. We've seen labels, not just online item descriptions, that state sodium as 170mg. per 30gm. serving. Our jar lists 510mg.

For a long time, we believed that this product had no Chinese counterpart version. It just didn't seem that any similar product appeared on the LGM China website. After more consideration, and naming inconsistency aside, we'd characterize it as the US export counterpart to Lao Gan Ma Chilli Sauce with Peanut.

As chili oil/crisp products go, however, we found it quite accessible, being moderate in chili pepper heat and satisfyingly chewy in the texture department.

Update

It would appear that prickly ash powder has been eliminated from the formula for this product. In the order of ingredients, it has been replaced by "pepper powder", the exact nature of which we're not sure.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, chili, peanut, MSG, salt, sugar, prickly ash powder, pepper powder, sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite.

More Information

Brand: Lao Gan Ma
Style: Fried Chili in Oil
Price paid: $4.49 / 7.41oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://www.laoganmausa.com
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