Our Easy Chilli Crisp

This is the best Chilli Crisp I have ever had in my life. Proper crunchy bits with layers upon layers of aromatic, savoury flavour followed by a warm spiciness that won’t blow your head off. Easy to make with accessible ingredients, I can’t stop putting this on everything!!

Another great recipe from our RTM Chef Hannah, in consultation with her father, Chef Haibing Huang!🇨🇳

Our Easy Chilli Crisp

My search for the best Chilli Crisp has finally come to an end. This is The One. And we made it easy so anyone can make it. No special special equipment, no strange ingredients, a recipe suitable even for learners.

If you’re new to Chilli Crisp, it’s that bright red Chinese chilli oil loaded with crunchy fried bits that’s become a global obsession, spooned over everything from noodles to eggs to (apparently) ice cream. It goes by many names – chilli crunch, crispy chilli oil – and these days there’s everything from supermarket staples like Lao Gan Ma (Angry Auntie!) to boutique jars at eye-watering prices.

But I’d never found one that ticked all my boxes. Some lack crunch, others are chewy, bland, lack savouriness or are so spicy you can’t taste anything.

I finally realised that to be able to enjoy my idea of the perfect Chilli Crisp, I’d have to make my own. And after years of trying and failing, we finally cracked it thanks to Hannah, our actual proper real Chinese Chef at our food bank RecipeTin Meals. Say hi to Hannah!

Developing this recipe – what we wanted

Even in China, the flavour and spiciness of chilli crisps varies widely. Some taste simple, while others have far more depth, some are barely spicy and others are blow-your-head-off!🔥

We developed ours after taste testing many, debating obsessively, then chasing our ideal chilli crisp. We even had a much-hyped jar shipped in from the US (ironically, the least impressive of the lot!).

Chilli Crisps in western countries tend to be well seasoned so you could literally stir them through a bowl of plain rice and call it dinner. And good crunchy bits are highly valued! Interestingly, in the Sichuan province where Hannah is from, chilli oils tend to be highly aromatic but low in salt so they actually taste quite bland straight out of the jar, but come alive when it hits hot food.

Because I wanted a Chilli Crisp that can do everything, I’ve leaned into the western style. I promise, you will be eating this by the spoonful straight from the jar!

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Ingredients in our easy Chilli Crisp

Hannah’s Chill Crisp is a carefully concocted balancing act of spices and aromatics so you can taste the right amount of everything and not too much of any single ingredient. Here’s what you need to make it. I think you’re going to be surprised how accessible everything is!

1. dried spices

These dried spices are the base aromatics of Chili Crisp. You should be able to get everything – even Sichuan peppercorns – from regular large grocery stores if you live in a multi-cultural area, (Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms – for Australians), fresh produce stores that carry a good range of dried herbs and spices, or of course Asian stores.

• Pink Sichuan peppercorns – A key ingredient to give Chilli Crisp a proper, authentic flavour. It has a citrusy aroma and that signature tongue-tingling buzz. Find them in the spice or Asian aisle of larger supermarkets or any Asian grocery store. And you get your hands on it, you can make Kung Pao Chicken and Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry (<– THIS! Incredible!).

• Cinnamon stick – Only half, just break it by hand.

• Star anise, fennel seeds, green cardamom pods and cloves – Using whole pieces rather than ground is key here for infusing the oil with flavour.

• Bay leaf – Dried is the preference though fresh will work too.

• Water – Just 2 teaspoons, to coat the dried spices to prevent them from burning in the oil.

2. oil infusion

In addition to the above spices, here’s what you need for the oil infusion step.

• Oil – Vegetable oil, canola, peanut or any neutral flavoured oil can be used here. The oil is simmered very gently so it doesn’t have to be a high smoke-point oil.

• Green onion and ginger – The fresh aromatics simmered in the oil with the spices.

3. OIL SIZZLE INGREDIENTS

These are the ingredients that the hot oil is poured over which makes the flavours bloom – especially the chilli flakes and sesame seeds. The recipe only calls for 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) so it can be substituted with rice vinegar or another clear vinegar.

• Smoked paprika – This does the heavy lifting to give the oil a bright red colour as well as adding a touch of smokey flavour.

• Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – This is what adds spiciness into this chilli crisp. The recipe calls for 3 teaspoons which might sound like a lot, but the oil absorbs and softens the spiciness so the chilli flakes are way less spicy than eating them dry. Put it this way – I eat this Chilli Crisp straight out of the jar, but I can’t do that with Sriracha!

  Can’t handle spiciness? You can reduce the chilli flakes down to whatever you feel comfortable with, though if you go below say 1 1/2 teaspoons, you’re really taking the Chilli out of Chilli Crisp and just making a tasty crunchy (kid-friendly!) condiment. 💡Recipe idea!

• Sesame seeds – Just your regular white sesame seeds, adds beautiful sesame flavour into the oil when hot oil is poured over it. If you’ve only got pre-toasted ones which are sold in large shake-canisters at Asian stores, that’s ok to use too but un-toasted white is preferred for more flavour extraction.

• Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) – As noted above, because we use such a small amount, it’s fine to substitute with another vinegar. Rice vinegar is preferred, a neutral flavoured vinegar (apple cider vinegar, white vinegar) or even balsamic vinegar (regular, not sweet syrup).

• Light soy sauce or a regular all-purpose soy sauce – This adds a bit of salt plus colour into the oil. Do not use dark soy sauce (way too intense in colour). Tamari can be used for gluten-free.

4. crunch and seasoning

This is where things get really interest! Flavour! Crunch!

• Crispy fried shallots and crispy fried garlic (photo below) – This is the main source of CRUNCH in our chilli crisp!! It also adds a good amount of flavour into the oil. As mentioned earlier, the use of store bought makes this Chilli Crisp straightforward for any home cook. Frying paper-thin slices of garlic and shallots so they’re evenly golden and crisp is tricky because they go from perfect to burnt in seconds, and even slight variations in thickness or heat can leave you with bitter or soggy bits instead.

  So, we’re using store bought. I also found this extends the shelf life as the garlic and shallots stay crisper for longer, and don’t go bitter.

  Where to find them – Crispy fried shallots is widely available at most grocery stores (Coles, Woolies) and of course Asian stores (~$2.80). Crispy fried garlic is also sold at regular grocery stores in multicultural areas, or Asian stores (~3.00). You will see the crispy shallots already frequent many recipes on my website!

• Chicken stock powder, preferably Chinese (photo below) – Also an important ingredient! This adds salt plus savouriness. Knorr Chicken Powder (the Chinese one) is my preferred, else any another Chinese or Asian chicken stock powder, or a western Chicken stock powder (Vegeta and OXO are my preferred). Yep, the Asian ones have MSG in them, and even most of the Western ones do, that’s what makes it “tastier”. 🙂

  Where to find them – Knorr Chicken Powder is sold at regular grocery stores in multicultural areas, or Asian stores (~7.00). I also use it to make liquid chicken stock for cooking (I don’t use it for clear broth soups though, it’s doesn’t have as “clean” a flavour as liquid stocks).

• Sugar – We only use 1 teaspoon and you will be surprised what a difference such a small amount makes! Note: not all chilli crisps have a touch of sugar, but all the ones I like do. I really do think it brings another layer of tastiness.

• Salt – We use salt for additional seasoning, because if you only use chicken stock powder then it tends to taste a bit too chicken-y, and we don’t want that.

OK! Ingredient chatter done, now let me show you how to make it so you can get into the kitchen!

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How to make this Easy Chilli Crisp

There’s nothing tricky about making your own Chilli Crisp. Just be careful when simmering the oil with the spices – use a gentle simmer as if anything burns, it will taint all the oil.

1. Chop (special step) – Cut the cinnamon, bayleaf and star anise, just roughly into pieces about 1cm / 0.2″. This is to help release more flavour.

2. Soak whole spices (special step) – Place the chopped spices (including all the crumbly bits) in a small bowl with the cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds and cloves. Add 2 teaspoons water and toss with your fingers. There won’t be any water pooling in the base of the bowl. Leave for 30 minutes to hydrate.

   Lightly hydrating the spices helps draw out more flavour by softening them slightly and ensuring the small chopped bits don’t burn in the oil.

3. Infuse oil – Put the soaked spices into a 20cm/8″ saucepan.* Add the green onion, ginger and cold oil.

   * Saucepan size – don’t use one too much smaller else the spices will be too crowded and won’t fry properly. If you use one too large and the oil depth is too shallow, you’ll end up pan frying those spices – not what we want!

4. 25 minutes fizzy simmer – Start the stove on medium low then adjust the heat up or down until you see small fizzy bubbles coming up from the base (kind of like soda), with a few little bubbles every now and then. Maintain that gentle bubbling for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and making sure nothing burns. Towards the end, the bubbling will slow (a sign the water has evaporated from the spices, ginger etc) and the ginger and green onion should be golden or dark golden, not burnt.

5. Finish fizzy simmer – This is what the green onion should look like at the end of the fizzy simmering time, or even more golden.

6. Prepare the hot-oil-bowl – Just before the oil simmer time is finished, mix the sesame seeds, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, soy sauce and vinegar into a heat proof bowl (I use metal). It has to be strong enough to withstand hot oil. ⚠️ Don’t do this step too far ahead of the oil finishing else the liquids get absorbed by the dry ingredients.

7. Strain the oil into the bowl using a fine-mesh metal sieve. Discard the used spices caught in the sieve.

8. Fully cool (30 minutes) – Mix the oil, then leave it to fully cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. ⚡️If you’re in a hurry, you can cool for just 10 minutes before proceeding but you’ll still need to wait for the oil to fully cool before sealing the jar.

9. Crunchy bits! Add the crispy garlic and shallots, plus the sugar, chicken powder and salt.

10. Mix well – Give the chilli crisp a really good mix and you’re done!

11. 24 hour flavour melding time – Transfer it into an airtight container or jar with enough headroom to be able to mix it vigorously (essential before every use). Screw the lid on then leave in the fridge for at least 24 hours to let the flavours meld before using. It’s still tasty if you use it immediately, but once the flavours have time to blend, it catapults into OMG! territory.

12. To use – Give the Chilli Crisp a really good mix, being sure to get right into the corners of the base to agitate everything that’s settled on the base (especially the sugar and salt). Be sure to get a good proportion of the “stuff” and oil every time you scoop up a spoonful to use!

How long this Chilli Crisp keeps

This Chilli Crisp just gets better with time, peaking at around day 3 then it stays at that level of excellence for at least 6 weeks. Beyond this, I found that the beautiful fresh aromatic flavour starts to fade but it was still crunchy and still better than shop bought ones, so I’ve been happily using them up to around the 10 week mark.

At around 3 months, some batches started to develop a bit of bitterness, I found, and noticeably less aromatic flavour.

What to use Chilli Crisp for

Use chilli crisp on anything that you want to make a little more interesting with a flavour boost, colour splash or textural crunch, or to save a dish that is just a little bland. Spoon it over fried eggs, noodles, fried rice, soups, even avocado toast. Drizzle it on grilled meats or roasted veg, toss it through stir fries, or use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings and wontons with a splash of soy.

Mix it with mayonnaise for an instant sauce for burgers, burritos, potato wedges or fries. Swish through sour cream for an instant taco sauce. Swirl over yogurt and use as a dip.

Once you start using it, you will quickly realise the potential uses are limitless and extend far beyond Asian food!

Thank you to Hannah and her father!

Hannah developed this Chilli Crisp recipe with her chef dad in China critiquing every round. Not red enough, aromatics off, sesame not toasted enough, wrong ratio of oil-to-crunchy bits …….. back to the kitchen she went, making it over and over again.

I feel so privileged that we get to share a recipe that’s been created, tested, refined and signed off by not just one but two talented chefs with impossibly high standards when it comes to the food of their country.

Getting Hannah’s dad’s sign off is especially special because if you grew up in an Asian household, you know parent approval isn’t handed out lightly. So when he finally gave it the nod, we knew this one was something special.

The Chilli Crisp Lovers of the world salute you both! – Nagi x

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Watch how to make it

Remembering Dozer

The way I’ve been talking about Dozer since I lost him, you’d think he was a perfect little angel, with a halo and all.👼🏻 But let’s not forget he wasn’t without flaws! I mean, look at him. Zero remorse. And truly expecting me to play with him!