Its Zhong Sauce, which offers a perplexingly delicate balance of sweetness, smokiness, and savoriness (if we may), is at home atop "dumplings, grilled meats, soft cheeses, eggs, and carbs," and more than once, I've found myself indulging in a level spoonful of the stuff. The brand's chili crisp recipe also calls for something called "semi-winter rampa, or rapeseed oil" - though Gao is quick to distinguish it from "European rapeseed or canola oil, as the FDA makes us write it." A yellow-flowering member of the mustard family, semi-winter rapeseed is sown before winter, flowers in spring, and tends to carry flavor rather than impart it, making it a choice vessel for Fly by Jing's complex condiments.įly By Jing's Chili Crisp was an instant hit, but the brand hasn't stopped there. That's how highly those small, red seeds were (and continue to be) coveted. Painstakingly (and painfully) harvested by bare hand once annually from a small plot of land in Sichuan, the tribute pepper is so named because for 300 years, the village of QingXi - by many accounts the peppercorn's preeminent grower - made a point of expressing a portion of each harvest to China's imperial courts. Gao's highly personal take on Sichuan chili crisp - Fly by Jing's flagship product - involves 18 ingredients, some of which can only be found in China's Sichuan Province.įor obvious reasons, we couldn't exactly pry every little detail out of the proprietress, but she did say that the most essential ingredient is the peppercorn of the tribute pepper, or gongjiao, which Fly by Jing employs widely across its inventory. We spoke with the entrepreneur about launching a successful startup amidst a pandemic, how Fly by Jing went from a small operation to being sold at Whole Foods and Target stores nationwide, and what's next for the rising brand. Guests loved her chili crisp so much that she decided to bottle it and build a Kickstarter page. One thing lead to another, and Gao ended up quitting her tech job and opening a restaurant in Shanghai. "My hypothesis is that people were ready for a new paradigm." "I was realizing that so little real Chinese food made its way out of China and wanted to shine light on that, and represent it on a global stage," she told Insider. "There was an active prejudice against Chinese food as being dirty, cheap, and unhealthy."įirst and foremost, Gao wanted to grasp and address those perceptions for herself, and in the process, a company was born. "I wanted to shift the way people saw Chinese culture and food in the US," says Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao, who in 2018 launched one of Amazon's top-selling "hot sauces" (although that term doesn't quite do it justice), a personal take on Sichuan chili crisp. Shop at Fishwife External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." For an unbeatable classic chili crisp flavor, Grandma’s the only way to go.Shop at Fly by Jing External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." Adding some pep to your popcorn? That’s LGM, baby. Leftover pizza for lunch? Drizzle on some Lao Gan Ma. Are you having an egg for breakfast? That goes great with some Lao Gan Ma. Every bite is the Platonic ideal of what a chili crisp should be: crunchy, spicy (but not too spicy), and versatile enough to put on everything. Food critics and writers often credit this spicy, texture-packed Chinese sauce in the iconic red jar with kicking off the chili crisp boom in the United States. Lao Gan Ma translates to “Old Grandmother,” and in the world of chili crisps, the title could not be more accurate. Making your own is no great undertaking, but in case you’d rather just pop open a jar, we’ve rounded up some of the best chili crisps according to Bon Appétit staffers, from the pantry staple Chinese home cooks have been using for decades to a modern version you can only buy on Instagram. Some lead with heat others are deeply umami some a little sweet, and all elevate eggs, noodles, tacos, and fried chicken sandwiches. With a base of chiles fried in hot oil, every version of chili crisp is made with a different permutation of fragrant spices and crispy add-ins like fried garlic, shallots, soybeans, and Sichuan peppercorns. But what if one magical condiment could achieve both at once? Chili crisp is that condiment. Sure, any old crispy-crunchy topping can take a dish from good to great, and regular hot sauce can deepen a meal’s flavor profile with just a shake. On the deliciousness index, heat and texture are paramount, and one surefire way to accomplish both is with a drizzle of one of the best chili crisps.
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