What did I buy my coworkers for the holidays?
What did I buy my dad for babysitting my kids?
What did I buy my boss for her birthday?
Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp.
It’s spicy, but not fiery. It’s savory and crunchy with flecks of chili pepper and whole, chunky soybeans in a crimson oil.
It’s not just for hot heads and heat seekers, my 4 year old asks for a slick of it on buttered toast. A spoonful adds interest to leftover noodles with scrambled eggs and greens (a house favorite), perks up a veggie grain bowl topped with a dollop of yogurt and a stream of sesame oil and partnered with a shake of everything seeds, mixes up the tired avocado toast game.
Thanks to its inclusion in Lucky Peach‘s cookbook 101 Easy Asian Recipes (see: pantry staples), the condiment seems to have caught on in this country. There are plenty of odes to its prowess, and in its homeland of China, it’s as ubiquitous as ketchup is here.
I have to actively decide not to add it to every dish, not for fear I’ll tire of it, but because I don’t want to see the bottom of the glass jar too quickly. Please, buy at least two jars at a time.
Find Lao Gan Ma spicy chili crisp at Asian grocery stores or online.