Chili Crisp - Different Brands & Uses

I’ve been using Lao Gan Ma’s classic Chili Crisp a lot, but as much as I love the stuff I don’t love MSG or preservatives. I prefer naturally occurring umami flavors vs. taking the shortcut. I just ordered Fly by Jing and Momofuku since neither contain MSG nor preservatives, and I know Trader Joe’s has one too.

Curious to hear other people’s thoughts on the different brands out there, favorite uses, etc.

Make your own!

Great stuff.

Popcorn flavoring is my favorite non-traditional use. Mixing into sour cream or yogurt as a dip would be close second.

This is an incredible recipe that I’ve made a few times, but also an incredible pain to make and quite expensive to source the ingredients for a condiment

Momofuku just released a version and I ordered it today. Don’t laugh but I bet it’s awesome. Their seasoning salts are exceptional.

I am pretty meh about Fly By Jing’s product

Coconut sugar is the third ingredient- looks like it is going to be SWEET! pepsi

Waaaay too lazy!

Any particular reason?

I got that and the seasoning salts. Looking forward to tasting how it stacks up against the OG Lao Gan Ma.

The salts are all great. The tingly on roasted veggies is magic. So is the spicy on eggs or anything Asian or pizza. And the savory is good on just about anything at all, particularly toasted meats.

Not much punch. Light on ma and light on la

Good to know! I can always use seasoning to dress up veggies.

Hmm, that might be a good thing for me, a capsaicin lightweight.

The Momo version even says its inspired by LGM. :slight_smile:

$10 for 120 grams?? That’s like a kg if Lao gan Ma. :slight_smile:

I don’t think expensive is necessarily better, but I like that the Momofuku version has no MSG or preservatives. I find that umami-rich ingredients have more depth whereas MSG is a bit one-dimensional.

It’s like the condiment version of getting a good bottle instead of Two Buck Chuck, but I still buy LGM.

https://www.instagram.com/umameixo/

Worth it. Prob the best chili oil/crisp i’ve had. Made by Mei Lin of Top Chef fame.

MSG is natural. carry on.

I like the Don Chilio brand (despite the silly name). The jalapeno is our favorite but if you want more punch there is the Serrano. I have not tried the Habanero. Here is a link to the jalapeno: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7B1T4H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have used them on eggs and sandwiches, but could see using them on pasta and frankly almost anything. They are quite addictive.