What does chili crisp taste like?

Chili crisp tastes like savory, garlicky chili oil loaded with crunchy fried bits of chili, shallot and garlic, with steady medium heat and a deep, almost meaty savoriness.

Chili crisp is a Chinese condiment: chili oil where the good stuff sinks to the bottom in a crunchy pile. You get toasty fried garlic and shallot, dried chili, often fermented soybeans and a little sugar, so it tastes savory first and spicy second. Some versions add Sichuan peppercorn, which brings a buzzy, numbing tingle. The heat is real but friendly; it builds rather than punches. The crunch is the whole point, which is why people spoon it on everything from eggs to ice cream.

Where you’ll see it

Spooned over dumplings, noodles, fried eggs, rice bowls and cold tofu, or stirred into mayo and butter for dipping. Lao Gan Ma is the famous jar; plenty of restaurants now make their own.

Order it if you like your heat with crunch, garlic and a savory backbone.