Chile Crisp

Published July 14, 2021

Chile Crisp
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(2,497)
Comments
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There’s just enough oil to slick all the crispy bits of chile, onion and sesame in this version of the spicy Chinese condiment, so it delivers as much crunch as it does salty, sweet, nutty heat. Dried minced onion from the supermarket spice aisle is a shortcut for the usual step of frying fresh minced onion, and it improves the crispness, too. You can experiment by mixing the hot and fruity flavors of different dried chile varieties, crushing them into flaky bits, or stick with ready-to-add red-pepper flakes. No matter what you use, this blend adds a little excitement to everything.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1¼ cups
  • ½cup vegetable oil
  • ¼cup dried minced onion
  • 1teaspoon granulated sugar
  • teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • cup finely crushed dried small red chiles or red-pepper flakes
  • 3tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1teaspoon coarsely ground Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

300 calories; 31 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 130 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the oil, onion, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chiles, sesame seeds and Sichuan peppercorns, if using, and sizzle, stirring, for 1 minute, then stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Spoon over everything. It adds big flavor to milder bases, such as eggs, tofu, noodles, rice, vegetables, white fish, lean pork and chicken breast.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,497 user ratings
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Comments

they are replying to a suggestion by one reviewer to use half vegetable oil and half sesame oil. That is the problem with sorting the Cooking Notes by "most helpful" - you never see the original post, as in this case, nor any answers/suggestions to "most helpful" questions that others have !! I wish NYT would add a tag to indicate that the Cooking Note is a reply to another note, as they do with the reader comments on other articles.

Lisa Lin, whom I follow on Instagram, posted a recipe for a sauce which consisted of frying a lot of minced garlic until it was just brown then mixing it with chili crisp and sesame oil, then topping asparagus with it. No matter how much I make, it's never enough!

You'll want to add sesame oil at the end, since heating it will destroy the fragrance.

I would toast those sesame seeds before adding.

Used mostly vegetable oil and added sesame oil (after taking off the heat) to equal 1/2 cup. Also added about 1/4 cup chopped peanuts while sauteeing. Good stuff!

Needs star anise. Seriously! And a dash of msg. And as others have mentioned only v gentry fry the onion, I do thin slices, before removing from heat. Do not overcook it! I make a batch of 4 jars once a month. Household staple now. When the zombie apocalypse comes I’ll be ready.

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