Happy Lady Sauce Homemade Chinese Spicy Chili Crisp packs a wallop of heat, to be sure, but it is the amazing depth of flavour that keeps you coming back for more and more and more!
The only thing better than having had a best friend who has been your bosom pal for more than twenty five years is when that same friend possesses a finely tuned sense of irony. So it goes with my dear Ali. We met in my freshman year/her junior of high school and have been more or less inseparable since, sharing all of life’s ups and downs whether geographically close or quite literally separated by an entire country. When her brother married a lovely woman he met while working in the Sichuan province of China, and she started passing along honest-to-goodness Sichuan recipes to Ali, I was thrilled beyond compare because -naturally- those recipes started making their way into my recipe box. Along the way, Robin introduced Ali and her gang to a condiment called “Spicy Chili Crisp”. I’m going to go ahead and admit to you right now that until a year ago, I had NO idea what the real name of it was because it’s in tiny little letters at the bottom of the label. Instead, my family referred to this fabulous, sweat-inducing combo as “Happy Lady Sauce”. This name comes courtesy of the aforementioned ironic sensibilities of my bestie. How is it ironic?
Let’s just examine this label shall we? The ‘Happy Lady’ takes center stage here. I’ve seen other homemade versions of this refer to it as “Angry Lady Sauce” but I don’t feel the Happy Lady is enraged so much as she’s very ‘meh’ about the whole thing. And how she could be anything less than ecstatic over her sauce is beyond me. We are talking about the perfect blend of umami-packed spice, salt, and oil. Why is that so special? You scoop a little of the crispy chili-pepper bits over whatever you’re eating and the oil dribbles down into the dish and flavours it and makes me one seriously Happy Lady. I’ve served it on food here on FwF before and I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. In fact, I’ll include a list of links to recipes that would be MAGNIFICENT with a hint of Happy Lady on it.
It’s not burn your face off hot, but you need to be made of sturdy stuff to eat Happy Lady Sauce in any large quantities. Most folks dip their chopsticks in and stir it into soup or drizzle the oil over their food. My people scoop it on with wild abandon. I can’t answer for their antics, but I do promise it’s good.
Why homemade? Why not just buy the stuff?
This is pretty much my husband’s fault. I don’t even know if I should admit publicly how much Happy Lady Sauce he and the boys consume as a unit. We’re talking about at least one jar every 5 days or so. Even at our local Asian market where the jars are a wickedly affordable $2.50, that still adds up pretty quickly. And I may have mentioned once or fifty times how far we LIVE from civilization, right? That’s a 3 hour round trip to stock back up on Happy Lady. Yes, I clear the shelves every time I go (and blush furiously when the clerk has to ring up 15 jars at the register), but it’s still not enough to keep us in the good stuff between trips. So the homemade solution was the obvious one. There’s a little more to it, though.
Let’s scoot that jar around and look at the ingredient label, shall we? Hmmm. Given the VAST quantities of this that my menfolk like to ingest, I’m pretty not okay with that level of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Sulfur Dioxide, and Sodium Sulfite. All that being said, my fellows really, REALLY love the homemade version and I’m so pleased to give them a healthier version of something we all love.
Warning. Happy Lady is habit forming. And unlike the model for the label, you’re actually going to SMILE when you eat it.
Cook’s Notes
- Do me a favour, would ya? Please don’t put your face anywhere near that grinder when you open it up after pulsing the hot peppers or you will -in all likelihood- cough up a lung and your face may melt off. Before opening the grinder, take a deep breath and hold it, then peek in there to see that it’s all good and dump it into a bowl before TURNING AWAY to breath. Otherwise, see previous caution. This is because hot pepper dust irritates the TAR out of your lungs. A nice strategy if you’re trying to break up some muck down there, but undesirable if you’re otherwise healthy.
- I’m well aware that guajillo peppers
are really not so very Chinese, but they do lend a little sweetness to the party and keep the Happy Lady from torching you from the inside out. If you really like pain and/or want to have a sauce that is truly Sichuan level in spiciness, omit the guajillos and substitute in another 1/4 cup of the Chinese Dried Chili Red Peppers 5.2oz
.
- You’ll want a spice grinder, blender, or food processor to pulse the dried chili peppers until they look like the picture above.
- The label specifies soybean oil, but I prefer to use peanut oil for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that I think it tastes best. Besides, I’ve already discussed how truthful I think Mrs. Happy Lady is in her labeling.
- Don’t forget the Soy Nuts
that are MOST DEFINITELY in there. This adds some body, some crunch, some textural interest, and most importantly, some SOY FLAVOUR. I order a big old bag because my kids like to munch on them for snacks, too. Besides that, they last pretty close to forever.
- Speaking of the soy nuts, you don’t have to pulverize them before adding them to the mix. You really do want recognizable bits of them in the final product. I find that pulsing it in a clean spice grinder 4 times does the job. Alternatively, you could crush them lightly with a meat tenderizer or with a heavy pan.
- Do YOURSELF a favour and take the time to mince your onions and garlic as finely and evenly as possible. That makes the process of removing the moisture from them that much easier. You’re going to be adding them to some pretty hot oil (250°f) to slowly get the water out of them and toast them in the process. You’ll get a much more even (read: tastier) result if you take the time to cut the onions and garlic VERY small and very evenly.
- A word about storage. If you’ve done the job correctly and removed all the moisture from the onions and garlic, this should be okay at room temperature. Because I believe in caution, though, I’d advise storing it in the refrigerator, although how anything nefarious could grow in an environment that spicy is beyond me. (Which is just lousy science… I know…)
Use these to make Happy Lady Sauce Homemade Chinese Spicy Chili Crisp
- Food processor
- spatula
- saucepan
- jars
- dried chinese chiles
- dried guajillo peppers
- Sichuan peppercorns a.k.a. prickly ash
- soybean nuts
I think my label needs a little work. What do you think?
Happy Lady Sauce {Homemade Chinese Spicy Chili Crisp}
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pure peanut oil
- 1 small onion peeled, trimmed of root and blossom ends, and evenly minced very small
- 1 large garlic clove peeled and evenly minced very small
- 1/4 cup roasted salted soy nuts, lightly broken up
- 2 cups of Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers or Japones peppers, stems removed, and pulsed to break up in a blender, food processor, or spice grinder
- 6 dried Guajillo chiles stems removed, and pulsed to break up in a blender, food processor, or spice grinder
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn ground finely
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil to 250°F in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Add the onions and garlic to the oil and cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until the bubbling slows down to almost nothing and the onions and garlic are a light toasted, golden brown colour. Add the lightly broken soy nuts and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and add in the ground chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorn, and sugar. Let cool to room temperature, uncovered. Stir in salt, transfer to a pint jar with a tight fitting lid.
Nutrition
Recipes that would be great with Happy Lady:
Korean Miso and Honey Glazed Salmon
Slow-Cooker Korean Style Beef Tacos
Chinese Style Barbecued Pork (Char Siu)
Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir Fry
JangsangJeok {Korean Simmered Teriyaki Beef Patties}
Sticky Garlic and Ginger Venison {or beef} Stir Fry
Happy Lady Homemade Chinese Spicy Chili Crisp was originally published in September 2014 and was updated in September 2017.
Bill Lefler says
Sorry to correct you but, ONION is the third ingredient listed on the label.
Love your site
Rebecca says
Whoa man! How did I read over that fifty billion times? I blame my children. 😀 I pulled my line about the onion, but I stand by the big old liar part because if you dig into a jar of the commercial version, you’ll see the clear presence of soy nuts and while the label says it has soybean oil, it doesn’t say anything about nuts!
Bill Lefler says
Glad to help, your recipe sounds delicious. I will be trying it out on my spice loving grandchildren this winter.
D says
the label says “soybean,” not “soybean oil.” soy nuts *are* soybeans.
D says
sorry, I misspoke! the label says it contains both soybean oil and soybeans. the soybeans are what you’re calling soy nuts. that said, I’m sure your version is superior, and I plan to try to make it soon!
pamela says
It’s TOLD YOU TUESDAY??? My memo didn’t arrive in time, so I’m fresh out of critical commentary today.
I don’t care if you can read ingredients and count at the same time or not, because I love me some Happy Lady and I’m super psyched to get me some of that.
sue/the view from great island says
Gosh I’m already happier than the lady on the jar, and I haven’t even tasted this stuff yet! Looks amazing, and I love your writing style 🙂
Heather // girlichef says
Ha ha ha ha! I giggled the whole way through this post. Happy Lady Sauce looks like something we’d fly through!
jessie says
yum!
Margaret Chang says
Thank you! Thank you for this recipe. I am a Chinese and many of my friends highly recommend this brand of chili, but I can never bring myself to buy it because of the ingredients like MSG and all the preservatives. I immediately placed an order at Spices Inc to get the chilies used in the recipe. Cannot wait to make it!
Rebecca says
Hooray, Margaret!!! I’m so glad you get to try it! (Be forewarned, it’s habit forming, even without the MSG…)
Margaret Chang says
Just want to let you know after secured all the necessary ingredients and the equipment (thank you for the suggestion of the coffee grinder), I made my first batch yesterday!! It is delicious! I love the crunchiness and the hint of taste of the fried onion and garlic! I also like the combination of the two different kinds of chilies. It makes the heat more enjoyable. A tip I want to share with the othe readers: please stand by when the garlic and onion are frying because they can turn from golden brown to burn very quickly!
Do you have any plan to tackle the home made sriracha sauce? I will love to know how to make it too.
PS. after the successful try yesterday, I also ordered a dozen of 4 oz canning jars, so I can make a few more batches to use up the one pound dry chilies and to share with friends!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
Loved this post 🙂 Thanks for the tip on avoiding melting our faces off and coughing up a lung LOL great looking sauce!
Rebecca says
I try to help… 🙂
Colleen (Souffle Bombay) says
First, love the Anne of Green Gables reference 🙂 Second…how have I never heard of this sauce? I have had a similar affliction/addiction or whatever you want to call it to Chili with Garlic Sauce and use it more than is normal I am sure…but never saw this…huh! I can’t wait to try it out!!
Rebecca says
I’m kind of shocked you got my Anne reference! My best friend is actually from PEI, so that was in there for her 🙂
Second, Happy Lady is a hidden treasure. I understand the factory stopped producing it for a while a couple of years back and people freaked out. We fans maybe aren’t so vocal, but we’re seriously devoted. 🙂 She had to go back into production… but I’m happy with the homemade stuff now, so if Happy Lady (who is a real, live person!!!) decides to retire and fold up shop again, I’ll be okay.
Lauren kelly Nutrition says
Rebecca! Your blog and pictures just look fabulous!
Rebecca says
Thank you, Lauren!
Margaret Chang says
Will you recommend any brand of spice grinder? Two of mine broke down after very light use. Thank you.
Rebecca says
Hi Margaret! I do actually recommend this one (affiliate link): Krups Stainless Steel Coffee/Spice Grinder
It’s the same one I own and have used pretty heavily for about 3 years… if you follow that link, it looks like there’s a $3.00 off coupon you can use toward it on Amazon, too!
Martha @ A Family Feast says
Love this recipe and the story behind it! And my husband loves spicy sauces on just about everything – I will be sharing this recipe with him!
Ginny McMeans says
You crack me up! Besides getting entertainment from you I really LOVE this recipe and can not wait to make it. The Happy Lady looks as if she wasn’t too happy with all the additives either.
christine says
Let me start by saying, I am a skimmer. I never read every word, on anything. Okay, now that I’ve told you that, I must tell you, I just read every single word here. I was glued to your post from beginning to end. I most certainly want Happy Lady in my life. The sauce sounds awesome and I could totally make it. Thanks so much!
Lora @cakeduchess says
Your post title had me giggling before I even dove into the the actual post…and I couldn’t stop giggling. You’re hilarious! So, I think I need to make a jar just for ME! I can’t eat any thing w/MSG…it gives me a headache. So no Happy lady sauce, unless I use your recipe;)
Amanda says
This is incredible!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook says
This might very well become my most favorite recipe of yours! Can’t wait to taste this!
Kim Beaulieu says
First of all this is freaking amazing. I would totally think that lady was more like “someone just pinched me” lady. Or “my family ate all my ice cream again” lady. She’s absolutely delightful, and by delightful I mean kinda mean and scary looking.
[email protected] says
I love learning something new every day and today I’ve learned about “Happy Lady Sauce.” I have to say that label photo is hilarious. Happy Lady looks like she’d rather be anywhere else doing anything else but having her photo made for a sauce jar label. So funny.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Ok this sauce looks kick ass! The name is hilarious and I have a feeling I would use this non-stop if it was in my house! I shared with my dad too. I know he will love it!
Susan says
Oh happy lady, just the name makes me giggle. Looks too hot for me but would make a happy husband.
Angela {Mind Over Batter} says
This sauce is kick ass! And the Happy Lady looks like she can kick someone’s ass. I’m a little scared of her. As the only person in my house who consumes hot anything, I would make jars of this stuff and have it around me. Just ’cause… P.S. I’ve made hot sauce before and opened the food processor to take a sniff. Wasn’t pretty.
Paula - bell'alimento says
This makes me happy happy happy
Monique says
Thank you for what looks like a great chili sauce and i really want to try this recipe. Is there a substitute for the soy nuts? Are peanuts ok? And would any dried chillies work as I am from Malaysia and we have tons of different dried chillies and they do not specify their origins. Could likely be local, indian, thai, indonesian or chinese! Are your chinese dried chillies skinny and crinkly and a dark oxblood colour? Thanks!!
Rebecca says
That is a perfect description of my chilis, Monique! And if you can’t find soy nuts, peanuts are a good second choice. It won’t be exactly the same, but it’ll be good!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
OMG!! I’m DYING for this!!!!!
Tammy Nguyen says
Sooooo glad I found your website. Have always wanted to try and make this chili oil at home. Made it today, great flavor, but it’s soooooo spicy! What can I do to “fix” it? To lessen the spice level?
Rebecca says
Well? It’s supposed to be wicked spicy! If you want it less spicy, I’d say maybe the next time you make it you could use some less spicy dried chiles, like up the amount of guajillos, perhaps?
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says
I love the irony of what you call this sauce. Also, can’t wait to try it — sounds right up my alley.
Spam Sorenson says
I wonder if sesame oil would give it a kick.
I imagine the cost of production is the reason they use soy or canola or clear vegetable oil. But Chinese vermicelli (clear nylon noodles) with fried hamburger, and stir fried veggies in sesame oil with or without angry woman is delightful.
I will try this with sesame oil.
Thanks, Oh, I don’t care for the dried soy beans.
Vic says
Hey Spam, did you end up making this without the dried soy beans? Curious to know. Thanks!
Lisa says
Found you on Pinterest. Your story cracked me up (happy lady image was priceless). I can completely relate to the ingestion of mass quantities of Asian hot sauce. My favorite is Sambaal Olek. Have any DIY recipes for that? Can’t wait to try this one. Will be rounding up the ingredients on my next Asian market trek.
Darren Douglas says
I lived in Mainland China for 5 years and every noodle house and dumpling shack had “angry lady sauce” available. I was so happy to find this sauce at an Asian Supermarket a few years ago. It is very authentic Chinese and it’s nice to have a taste of the land I loved available in America.
jack says
Recipe sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try. How long do these keep for? Any canning required or storage tips? What about botulism?
Sorry for all the questions but I always get scared when it comes to storing food into oil.
Rebecca says
Hi Jack- I store it in a tightly lidded jar in the refrigerator, though I’m fairly confident that between the extended raised temperature of the oil and the fact that you’re frying all the moisture out of the onions and garlic (which are the only things there that would be problematic) would preclude any pathogen growth!
jack says
how long do you keep them for?
Rebecca says
I’m afraid it’s a bit of a non-answer, because we eat it quickly, but we’ve never had a batch last beyond two weeks. I believe it would be safe, if refrigerated, for up to a month, though.
Michael says
I live in China 4 months per year. I am not fluent in Mandarin. But I would translate lao ganma as “venerable godmother.”
Rebecca says
Cool information, Michael! I promise I didn’t think Lao Gan Ma meant ‘Happy Lady’, but rather we call it that because her face looks so, er, UN-happy.
Vic says
I’m going to make a double batch of this recipe! I bought all ingredients but one yesterday–I was unable to find roasted soy nuts. Should I up the salt content in the rest of the recipe? Use less oil or more of something else? Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Vic- I can’t give a substitute because I haven’t made it without them. The roasted soy nuts also serve as some body, so I would highly recommend ordering them. Amazon carries them! So does nuts.com!!
Eric says
I’m a cook for a small high school in Ohio and my students go crazy for Lao Gan Ma. There must be 40 jars in my dining room. In an attempt to discourage the clutter I made a test batch of your recipe and put it out 15 minutes ago for lunch. There are only 40 students here and they’ve already eaten half a pint of it! Two of my Chinese teenagers have come into the kitchen to say it’s better than the stuff in the jars! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll have to dive deeper into your blog and find some more stuff to try.
Teresa D says
I am making my third batch this weekend….we put it on everything or just eat it right out of the jar. LOVE IT!
Thanks for the recipe!
Bob says
“Old Step-Mother” or “Old Godmother”, not “Happy Lady”.
Rebecca says
Bob- I think you missed the joke. I am fully aware it doesn’t mean Happy Lady. It is meant to be silly since she looks anything but happy. I thought I explained (or at least implied) it pretty clearly in the post 🙂
Betty says
2 cups of peppers in flake form, or pre-flake form? I’m trying to see how much of my own peppers I will have to use
Rebecca says
Hi Betty- I refer here to a pre-flake form. You start with 2 cups and pulse them down to flakes.
Born and raised in Sichuan says
Great effort! However, the most important ingredient is missing from your recipe. It’s called “Dou Chi”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douchi. It is the heart and soul of this fine sauce. Soybeans may be a workaround, I wouldn’t call it authentic without Dou Chi.
Tom says
Happy Lady (Lau Gan Ma) has several similar products. This recipe is similar to the “Chili Crisp” rather than the “black bean”, which include fermented black beans (Dou Chi). I like this recipe better than either Happy Lady products I’ve been regularly using for decades.
Rebecca says
Thank you, Tom!! I really appreciate the input and that you took the time to rate the recipe!
Lindsey says
Happy Lady Popcorn:
Pop 3/4 cup kernels (or enough to fill a big ol’ bowl)
In a small sauce pan (or in the microwave), melt together 2 tbsp butter or margarine, 1 tsp Happy Lady Sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, a small splash of rice wine vinegar*, a splash of soy*, a splash of fish sauce*. Pour over kernels, and then shake with pepper and a good tbsp of nutritional yeast. Never eat popcorn any other way again.
*optional, use all or one, depending on your mood/availability/level of popcorn drench you like.
Rebecca says
Hot DIGGITY!!!! This sounds amazing!
S. Squire says
Oh man, I eat Happy Lady Sauce (Spicy Chili Crisp) right out of the jar. I will definitely try this recipe. Look forward to being able to tweak it to the level of spiciness I like. Yum!!!
Monica says
I’m so excited to try this out. I was unable to find whole guajillo chiles. How much would you recommend if it is Pre-ground up? Thanks.
Rebecca says
Hi Monica! I’m not quite sure! Most pre-ground options will let you know how much is roughly equivalent to a whole chile. I’d look at the packaging to see if it mentions it somewhere!
Rebecca says
As an aside, you can get whole guajillo chiles from Amazon!
Irene says
Looking forward to making this. How long does a jar of this keep in the fridge?
Thanks!
Ryan Leiderman says
I recently started buying this sauce; it is incredible. Very complex flavours and a nice amount of heat–definitely not overpoweringly spicy (my tolerance is high). I’d like to avoid food products from China, though, as well as the chemicals listed in the ingredients.
Why did you omit prickly ash, though? I haven’t used it before but am thinking it is part of the reason this sauce has such a complex flavour. Also, while the ingredients don’t list peanuts, Amazon has a warning that there are peanuts!
Rebecca says
Hi Ryan-
Great observations! I mainly omitted the prickly ash because I didn’t have any and loved the result of my preliminary recipe development so much we didn’t feel obliged to try it with the Sichuan peppercorns. If you’d like to give it a go with prickly ash, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
TJ says
MSG is a fantastic ingredient and perfectly healthy. It would pay to read reputable sources. It’s a victim of 50 year old distrust of foreigners and zero facts. MSG is the reason you love tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, meat (if you eat meat), and a host of other things. Umami is one of our basic taste receptors. I make mine with MSG and it’s the magic ingredient. Also if you’re concerned about sodium MSG has 60% less by weight than regular salt. Use it and love it. It’s meaningless to avoid it. Within this link there are links to credible sources. Also, there is ZERO evidence against it. Those symptoms might be linked to salt.
Rebecca says
Actually TJ, at no point did I say do not eat MSG. I am aware it is naturally occurring and happily eat it wherever it shows itself naturally. That being said, I DID say and I maintain that eating a lot added MSG is not necessarily a good thing. Just because something is natural does not make it great for you in vast quantities.
Deb says
I am excited to try your sauce! My son and I are condiment and spicy food addicts. I am a chronic migraine sufferer so even a tiny MSG will make me violently ill with no med to relieve it. I’ve noticed the crazies that haven’t experienced this body reaction to MSG are so very quick to extol the virtues of MSG. How ironic!
Rebecca says
MSG doesn’t bother me at all, but I understand it can be a real issue for some folks… particularly in the quantity in which we consume chili crisp. HAHAHA
Bella says
Rebecca, you made me laugh! Happy Lady LOL! We can’t keep enough jars of this stuff in our house either, and since I have a sensitivity to MSG I’m really excited to try this…thank you so much for sharing!! Can you recommend a reliable source to purchase the ingredients, specifically, the Chinese Dried Chili Red Peppers, Japones and the prickly ash? Can’t wait to try this 🙂
Andrew Garland says
Can crushed, dried Chinese red peppers be used in place of the whole peppers in the recipe? What would be the volume or weight to substitute?
Rebecca says
Hi Andrew- I’m sure it probably could be used, but I haven’t weighed the peppers at the beginning of the recipe. If we can find the equivalent, I’m thinking we could definitely do that!
Andrew Garland says
I made your recipe a few days ago. It is very good.
I used 1/2 cup of course Korean chile powder, plus 3/8 cup of coarsely ground California chiles (I didn’t have guajillos). This produced a little more than 2 cups of sauce, being about 7/8th solids with about 1/8th oil on top.
Korean chili powder has almost no seeds. The Chinese, crushed chili that I saw seems to be about 1/2 seeds.
Rebecca says
Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate you letting us know what changes you made. I personally love the seeds in the Chinese chiles. If you look at the photo of the original product you can see tons of seeds in it. If you prefer the smoother product, though, the Korean chile would be delicious!
Marie says
Thank you! That’s all.
(I love the angry lady version but all that Stuff makes me nervous. Looking forward to trying your iteration!)
Rebecca says
I hope you love it, too, Marie! 😀
jim timberlake says
i want to try this with the Korean Chili Flake – milder… and Marash Turkish Pepper – earthy and fruity
Ginger says
Tried happy lady for the first time tonight – so addictive. BUT no can do MSG. Just ordered ingredients. Can’t wait to make it.
Ginger says
Update: It was so worth making. I cooked the garlic and onion way too long, but it still taste awesome. No more two day headache after eating MSG. Making a salt free version for my mom soon. And keeping a jar at my friends house who is Chinese.
Jwswaco says
FYI – Info on Godmother Sauce
http://themalaproject.com/sourcing-lao-gan-ma-chinas-best-chili-oils-sauces/
ted says
Thank you for making this. This recently turned up in our supermarket and yes, it is good, but man! SO MUCH MSG!! So I turned to the internet to see what I could find. I will have a good at making several batches.
Miss Lao Gan Ma says
HI, when I make chili oil, I take care not to burn the chili and after straining I put the flakes back in the pan and mix with an equal amount of FRIED GARLIC bits or FRIED SHALLOT bits, which come in huge cheap jars at your Asian market. Add salt to taste. Toast to freshen up the fried garlic or shallot but watch like a hawk — don’t burn it. Super-easy!
Martin Olsen says
We LOVE this stuff! (We just call it “Cripsy”). We live in Budapest and it is hard to come by, so I buy 10 jars when I can. But I have to disagree with the Happy Lady interpretation… To me, she just finished saying, “ANOTHER promo Shoot!?! I don’t have time for this! I have Cripsy Chili to make!”
Rebecca says
HA! I like your dialogue for her, too.
C. Atteridge says
Where’s the prickly ash in your recipe?
John says
For this ingredient: “2 cups of Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers” the peppers are not in liquid form, so is this 2 cups after they are pulsed in the blender? About how many peppers is this? Thanks
Rebecca says
Hi there, John! This is really dependent on the size of your peppers before you start. Start with about a third more than you need and go from there 🙂
John says
Hey Rebecca thanks for the reply. But, still confusing. What I was asking is, peppers don’t come by the “cup”, so is the goal to use 2 cups of raw peppers prior to pulsing them in the blender, or is it to make 2 cups of the chopped-up (“pulsed”) peppers?
Ellen says
I made this in a pinch tonight using your recipe. While I didn’t have the same chilis it still turned out really well, and no MSG! Thanks so much.
I’ve never made anything like this and I really enjoyed myself.
Rebecca says
Thanks, Ellen! I am so glad you liked it!
Tommy says
Followed your recipe and it IS super fantastic….I did stir in 1/2 tsp of “magic spice” ( that is what the label in Thailand calls MSG)…which made it completely addictive….thanks for the recipe!
Dean says
“Given the VAST quantities of this that my menfolk like to ingest, I’m pretty not okay with that level of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Sulfur Dioxide, and Sodium Sulfite.”
Why? Your recipe only reduces the %DV of sodium from 23% (Laoganma original recipe) to 21% in your modified recipe and sacrifices the umami you’d gain from using msg by using regular kosher salt. Your recipe only reduces the amount of sodium per 1/4 cup serviing by 50mg (550mg sodium in Laoganma original and 500mg salt in your recreation).
Rebecca says
You are super fun, Dean. 🙂 As for the 50mg savings, I’ll take any I can get given the herculean quantities they eat. This recreation tastes great, is fun to make, and does actually make something of a difference, so I’ll take it.
Dean says
The point was that you could have achieved the same overall sodium reduction by sticking with MSG instead of sacrificing the overall flavor profile.
HarrySorryDavid says
Hello,
Been doing some research. There is an ingredient called PRICKLY ASH OIL that is obviously different from the PRICKLY ASH BARK. I have difficulty purchasing high-quality szechuan peppercorns where I live and the online items are very hit or miss.
Thank.
Stubby says
What’s the serving size?
Rebecca says
If you’re my kids, 1/4 cup. 🙂 Otherwise, I’d say 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon.
Heather Gallagher says
This recipe is fabulous. My husband and I had a similar dumpling sauce while in Melbourne. I’m so glad I found this recipe because it’s very similar to the sauce we loved in Melbourne. It’s delicious every time!
Rebecca says
I’m so glad you both love it, Heather!
Susan Gee says
I fell in love with this condiment (a favorite of my husband) but then saw the ingredients. MSG is a no-no for me. I was excited when a friend directed me to your recipe and I cannot wait to try it. Sadly, some of the links here do not work–namely the one for Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers. When I google “Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers” I don’t come up with a specific type of chili so I’m not sure what I should substitute. I’m a chili newbie. What do you recommend? Thank you and thanks again for the recipe!
Rebecca says
This is not a copy of the chili crisp referenced in the recipe. It is about a thousand times spicier. If you love the original this will not be the recipe for you – my husband and I consider ourselves to be spice enthusiasts and even this was too much for us.
Rebecca says
Hi Rebecca- I wonder if your batch of chiles was far hotter than mine? My batches ended up tasting just like the Lao Gan Ma that I buy!
Ariel Yeh says
Thank you so much for this Recipe!
My family loves it! Even my Father-in-law (who should have been a food critic) will help himself to it if it isn’t already on the table for dinner.
Many thanks!
Rebecca says
Thank you so much, Ariel!! You just made my day! And thank you, too, for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you (and your father-in-law) love it.
Amity says
Hello, I’m a little confused. Is it 2 cups of whole Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers THEN pulsed in a grinder or 2 cups of pulsed and grinder chili peppers? I did the later and its crazy hot!
Rebecca says
Hi Amity! The recipe is for 2 cups of whole peppers which are then pulsed. 🙂 It’s maybe not a widely known convention, but when recipe is written using the most common recipe writing guidelines, there are clues given to the order of operations by the way the ingredient is written. Using this recipe as an example, if you were supposed to measure pre-pulsed chili peppers, the recipe would read “2 cups pulsed and ground chili peppers” instead of the “2 cups Dried Chinese Red Chili Peppers, or Japones peppers, stems removed, and pulsed to break up in a blender, food processor, or spice grinder”.
Of course, not everyone follows the convention, so it’s good to ask like you did when unsure! I imagine you have a real firecracker of a spicy chili crisp on your hands!