I Tried The Instagram-Famous Chili Crisp
This Sichuan Chili Crisp is tingly, lives up to the hype, and is perfect for zhuzhing up anything and everything.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Scouted/Amazon
Scouting Report: Not only does this chili crisp exceed the hype, you’ll find yourself putting it on absolutely everything you eat.
A few months ago, every time I went on social media, I saw it: chili crisp. All of a sudden, it was everywhere, coming in beautifully designed bottles and boasting an incredible flavor that might help break us home cooks out of our funk. It took me a while to finally get around to trying one out, but I’m so glad I did. Now, I put it on absolutely everything—it’s just that good.
FLY BY JING Sichuan Chili Crisp
Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp is, I’ll say it, unlike anything I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a fair amount of things!). They market it as the first and only 100% all-natural Sichuan chili sauce that’s made in Chengdu Sichuan. It has rapeseed oil, soybean oil, dried chili pepper, fermented black beans, garlic, sesame oil, sichuan pepper, and plenty more spices—but it’s flavor is hard to place. It’s not only mouth numbingly spicy, as sichuan peppercorns are known for, but it’s also rich, earthy, and oily (in the best way possible).
Personally, I’ve started putting it on anything—the packaging says it can go on fried eggs, vegetables, meats, and “carbs,” and so yes, it goes on breakfast, pizza slices brought home, bacon egg and cheese bagels, and even ice cream (if I could go back in time and add it to every ice cream sundae I ate, I would).
In short, the concoction is not only my new favorite hot sauce, but it’s so much more—it doesn’t just hide flavors, it highlights them in this strange way that has helped me make my home cooking, something I was tired of once, something I enjoy and look forward to eating.
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