I have a dark secret. The idea of “chili crisp” is one that I’ve always loved in my head, and wanted to love in practice, but every one that I have tried—while delicious—never quite lived up to what I imagined a chili crisp should taste like. There was always just a little something that I felt was missing—the crisp wasn’t that crisp, or the spiciness was a little too ma la, or the crisp wasn’t as deeply savory or flavorful as I wanted, and tasted too much of heat and nothing else. Amid the chili crisp craze, I chalked it up to my own strange personal preference, and assumed that the chili crisp of my dreams simply didn’t exist.
That is, until just under a year ago, when I received a little package in the mail from my vegetable idol genius Hetty McKinnon, and opened it up to find two little vermilion jars–one of her “everything oil,” and one of her chili oat crisp.
If I am about to sound hyperbolic, it’s just because I have no other way to describe how good this stuff is. The slow sizzle of shallots, sesame oil, sesame seeds and garlic give the oil a deep, resounding umami that already sets this crisp apart, but it’s Hetty’s uniquely inventive addition of oats and coconut that truly puts it over the top. The oats and coconut add crunch and texture, but they also add flavor, lending the crisp an earthy nuttiness and that irresistible touch of sweetness that I want in all my savory dishes. Plus, when you make it at home, you can adjust the red chili pepper to give it the level of heat that you prefer in your crisp, and to keep it from dominating if you so choose. The result is so much rounder, nuanced, and flavorful than simply spicy, one of those alchemical flavors that is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Hetty’s chili crisp was so good that I was, frankly, a little bit skeptical that I could make it at home. But on top of all this—it’s easy. All you need to do is blitz up your shallots, garlic, and ginger in a food processor, combine them with everything else in a pot of oil, and let it bubble merrily away until your kitchen smells incredible and the oil is tinged red and full of crisp golden-brown goodness. It makes more than you think you’ll know what to do with, but I just divvy it up into a few little jars and freeze some–and it has never lasted as long as I expect. I’m fully convinced it’s one of the best things I’ve made in years.
The recipe for this magical chili crisp comes from Hetty’s next cookbook To Asia, With Love, which is jam-packed with dozens more recipes just as good. Like all that Hetty does, the book focuses on vegetable-forward dishes that are accessible and easy, but yield incredible results full of flavor. But on top of that, this book is especially close to my heart for the additional reason that it spoke so much to what motivates me to cook, and what my family loves about food. Hetty opens the book with a series of beautiful essays, and by talking about her “third culture”—a struggle for her identity growing up as a Chinese immigrant in Australia, and the eventual “cross-pollination of ideas and techniques that are grounded in [her] Chinese heritage, yet greatly influenced by growing up in the Western world.” That idea is such a personal one, but so emblematic of the experiences of so many of us. It perfectly encapsulates the way that we cook and eat in this family–and, lo, the recipes are literally everything I want to eat.
The book—Hetty’s fourth!—has been out since September in Australia, and after seven long months, it will finally be out on our side of the world on April 6. It’s available for preorder now. I was so tremendously lucky to get a little sneak peek at it, and it’s already a mainstay in my kitchen. I know you’ll love it as much as I do, and I’m so excited to share one recipe from it in the meantime.
hetty’s chili oat crisp
Reprinted with permission from Hetty McKinnon’s To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart (Prestel, April 6, 2021).
Ingredients
- 3 shallots, finely diced (about 1 cup diced)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons, or up to 2 tablespoons if you like garlic)
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100 g (1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats 30 g (½ cup) coconut flakes, roughly chopped (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons red chili pepper flakes
- 375 ml (1 ½ cups) vegetable or other neutral oil, plus up to 125 ml (½ cup) more if desired
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- about 1 tablespoon sea salt
Instructions
- Instead of dicing by hand, you can place the shallots, garlic cloves, and ginger into a food processor and pulse until finely diced.
- To make the crisp, place the shallot, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, oats, coconut, sesame seeds, chili pepper flakes and oils in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, and then reduce the heat to medium–low and cook for 20–25 minutes, until everything is crispy. (For me, this took a bit longer, closer to an hour, which could have been due to the pot I was using. I looked for when everything turned a rich golden-brown, especially the shallots, and drained the oil at that point.)
- Strain the oil through a sieve over a bowl, and leave the oat mixture to cool in the sieve – this will allow it to crisp up further and prevent anything from burning in the hot oil. Set the oil aside.
- Be warned that it will take all your willpower not to snack on the oat mixture at this point, which will taste like an incredibly addictive delicious spicy savory granola.
- Once the crispy oat mixture is completely cool, stir it back into the oil and season with sea salt. Leave the cinnamon stick in the oil, as it will continue to flavor it. Store the chili crisp in a clean sterilized jar, at room temperature or in the fridge. It will keep well for several months.
Notes
I like to divvy this into three or so small jars (think Bonne Maman-size) and keep the one I’m using in the fridge and the other two in the freezer.
If you’re looking for ideas for what to do with the chili crisp, the short answer is that it can probably go on everything. But to start: On potstickers always, stirred into congee, practically made for biang biang noodles; even just on a fried egg and some rice with some sauteed greens. My favorite thing to do is toss it in a bowl with a big pile of lettuce, rice, and tofu or chicken, shred some cilantro over top and mix it up with a little bit of Kewpie–I could eat that for days. Now that I’m feeling better and able to eat some spicy food, I do eat it pretty much every day. It’s just that great.
Per notes from commenters and my own experience, you may not have a ton of oil in the pot while cooking, especially if your shallots are large. For me, plenty of flavor comes through from the crisp itself and I prefer a little less oil, but you can add enough oil to cover the mixture if desired.
Bill McGRATH
Happy St Patrick’s Day to you and your lovely family
Chili crisps for all
Bill McGRATH
Happy St Patrick’s Day to you and your lovely family
Chili crisps for all
i have not said this before
Susie Flax
Thank you so much for this post. Big fan of yours (and Hetty’s!) and excited to give this a whirl. Wondering if the white sesame seeds should be hulled? Toasted? The number of options is confusing for the novice. Many thanks!
tworedbowls
Hi Susie, great question! I usually use white sesame seeds you can find at an Asian supermarket, which are often already toasted or roasted (here is a quick example), but if you can’t find an Asian brand, I would go for hulled white sesame seeds, and then would give them a light toast in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat, just until they take on a little bit of color and smell toasty and fragrant. I hope you love this chili crisp as much as I do!
Anonymous
Thanks so much! I think I have both those options, but I also live close to Chinatown in NYC so I will also look there. Possible to link to the example you reference? I didn’t see anything to click on although it be an issue on my end. Thanks and happy Spring!
tworedbowls
Ooh, strange! You’re right, the link disappeared–try this: https://amzn.to/310FyVE
Happy Spring to you!
Susie Flax
Thanks so much for the link! Worked perfectly and I’m ordering now.
Jane
Just made this – mine was really thick – as in, not much oil left after cooking down. I ended up adding at least another 1/4 cup. In the end was more like a thick paste. Quite tasty, though. Hoping I can still use it the same way.
tworedbowls
Hi Jane, thanks for pointing this out! You reminded me that this also happened to me–I’ve added a few more notes to the recipe to clarify. The first time I made it I added a bit more oil to cover, but have found in later iterations that I don’t mind less oil as I find that plenty of flavor comes through from the crisp itself and it keeps the dish a little lighter. You can definitely use it the same way. It should end up more like a very loose granola (in the step when the oil is drained) when it’s done cooking–if it’s more of a paste consistency, you may need to cook it longer to crisp it up.
Fred van’t sand
All that has been said in this commentary is fully correct! I have made lots for friends and have never seen it last much longer than a day. All hail this chilli crunch
★★★★★
Liz
Here to check the recipe before I make my second batch, so obviously I’m a fan LOL. This stuff is liquid gold. Put it on anything, but on eggs is probably my favorite. We love it!
★★★★★
Anonymous
I should add, my grocery store frequently doesn’t have shallots, I used finely diced sweet onion instead and it came out wonderfully.
Lynda challands
Hi Cynthia,
My name is Lynda Challands and I am in South Gippsland Victoria. I have a small handmade Kimchi business which has only been going 3 months I am always looking for interesting recipes to try and then to pass on to my customers.
I wanted to know if you would be happy for me to share your potato skin kimchi recipe and one of your photos on my Kimchi Instagram and Facebook page. I am more than happy to acknowledge you and your site as where i got the recipe.
regards
Lynda Challands
Fermented Frog
Christine Green
We put this on every thing—toasted sourdough, grain bowls, eggs—it is so amazing!
★★★★★
JP
This chili crisp is so delicious, I’d give it 10 stars if I could! I have some advice if your mixture is not crispy after cooling and separated from the oil. I spread mixture on a sheet pan and baked for about 10 minutes at 375, the way I bake granola. It crisped right up and I added it back to the oil.
★★★★★
tworedbowls
That is genius! Love it so much, will need to try next time. Thank you so much for sharing.