My chili crisp / chili crunch rankings after trying 40+ kinds

Non-regional discussions Non-regional miscellany
1

My top 10 chili crisps and crunches:

  1. Lao Gan Ma
  2. Momofuku, Regular
  3. Fly By Jing, Chengdu Crunch
  4. This Little Goat, Spicy
  5. Boon Sauce, Regular
  6. Umamei
  7. Bullet
  8. This Little Goat, Regular
  9. Super Magic Taste
  10. Kwong Shop No. 5

Notes: when I try a chili crisp, I’m looking for complexity of flavor, a balance of heat/sweet/umami, good texture with some crunchy elements, and a versatility of applications.

If you want something more garlicky, I liked Mama Teav’s more than KariKari. If you like a more Sichuan peppercorn-heavy chili crisp, try Su, Xian Famous Foods, or Blank Slate.

The rest: Trader Joe’s, S&B, Junzi, Nowon’s, Cy Eats, RiceBox, Momofuku (other 3 varieties), ZinDrew OG/X-Batch, Su (all 3), The Flavor Society Pizza/Spicy Pizza, Fly By Jing Regular, Holy Tshili, KariKari, Co-op, CinSoy/CinSoy Spicy, Chile Crunch (red jar), Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic OG, Me’s Way, Blank Slate, Xian Famous Foods, Mr. Bing

Discontinued: Mom’s Mala (2 varieties), Sze Daddy, This Little Goat (Ranch)

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2

Wow!

What do you put it on? I only put it on white rice, but that doesn’t feel like a very Chinese thing to do.

3

So many things! Eggs, avocados, sandwiches, roasted or steamed vegetables, noodles…

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4

That is SOME dedication. Thanks for your ranking and thoughts.

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5

Thanks! I’ve only tasted one of them but luckily it is #1.

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6

Ooh, deviled eggs with chili crisp.

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7

Chili Crisp eggs on rice is on my rotation of quick pantry meals.

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8

I put it on everything I would use hot sauce on. Pizza and mixing it in with tuna are two favorites.

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9

Ah, yes! Pizza! Also a great use of chili crisp/crunch.

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10

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how spicy do the chili crisps get?

I was introduced to the S&B ryu by a friend and found it to be crispy, but also sweet and garlicky. It works well for my household, but what would be the next spice level up to go from a non-Japanese brand?

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Not a dumb question at all, some of them can get very spicy!

I would try Lao Gan Ma and Little Goat (regular) next.

Followed by Momofuku (original) and Little Goat (spicy).

I would say all of those are between 3 and 5 on a scale of 1 = not spicy at all and 10 = extremely spicy like The Hot Ones’ The Last Dab.

Ones like Umamei and Boon Sauce can bring the heat, I would say those are closer to 7 or 8 on my scale.

If you like garlicky crisps, I would also try Mama Teav’s but make sure you get the mild. The mild jar has a blue label, the original is a white label.

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I don’t find Lao Gan Ma very spicy compared with most of the others I’ve tried. It has no garlic, which is one reason I like mixing it with XO.

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But you also have a very high tolerance for spicy food, no (based on some of your other posts)?

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Not so much any more. It gives me heartburn.

15

Have you tried Mila’s Chili Crunch?

I usually stick with the OG Lao Gan Ma.

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I want to but they’re charging $20 shipping for a $13 jar of chili crisp. I think their store just assumes every order contains their frozen dumplings.