Spicy Chili Crisp Sauce Recipe from Serious Eats

I plan to try this weekend. But if that is the case, why would the fried version be different? Sure, the garlic and shallots change texture when mixed with the oil, but it still has a texture I would call crunchy. I rarely “deep fry” shallots or garlic, but I don’t think they turn out all that crunchy.
Here is a picture of the shallots after frying from the seriouseats recipe.


The recipe says “When they’re a shade lighter than tan, strain the shallots through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the oil. They won’t appear truly crisp and golden until they’ve come out of the oil, after which the residual heat will help them reach a crisp, golden brown.”, so maybe they end up crispier than they look. I can imagine the garlic retains more crunch, but not TOO much since you don’t want it brown and bitter.

The dehydrated ones would go into the mix more crunchy, and I’m thinking they might absorb less oil.

I haven’t made this recipe myself, i just want to caution you before deviating too far from the original recipe since the author emphasizes the crispy crunchy aspect. If you’re happy with the results from your mini test with the dehydrated garlic then certainly use it for the larger batch.
I didn’t want you to make a lot with the substitution and then be unhappy with the results.

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I appreciate that; thanks! I really like having dried shallots around, and wouldn’t dream of wasting them if I hadn’t bought such huge amounts this time. And since I also overbought the dried garlic, and I have some aging Schezuan (sp?) peppercorns and a some peanuts, what have I got to lose?

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Since you have a bunch of the dried garlic and shallot why not just make an infusion with those two ingredients and the hot oil as a test? That way you don’t waste your time and money with all the other ingredients. If it works and you have no use for such an oil, I will send you my address :slight_smile:

I hope you’re successful – – I’ve been wanting a no sodium version to dress dishes that have already been generously seasoned, And frying all that garlic and shallots sounds like a pain in the butt

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Thank you! I do wonder if the oil will be as flavorfull with this approach. I’ve read there is as much crunch as oil with this chili oil, but maybe with time, the oil will get there.

As it happens, I also have an abundance of dried chilies, although some are of the blow your face off persuasion, and that’s not what I want. Some are mild versions of Chinenses and datil.


Some are the usual Mexican varieties, including guajillo, which one of the recipes uses.

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So I’m doing this; the dried gar!ic and shallots might be absorbing oil, as the liquid level is below the solids. It IS crunchy though. And salty. Not sure where that happened.

This condiment topic deserves as many experimenters, tips and posts as it can get! Thank you to all; I love this stuff.
When fresh garlic, shallots, etc. are fried, the water in them gets steamed out eventually, before they can crisp. So, one would think dried counterparts would crisp very quickly if fried or if hot oil were poured over them. Steeped in cold oil should provide some crisp, but the frying caramelizes sugars and should increase the crispness of starches, e.g. potato chips. Shrinkrap, maybe you’ll need some taste-testers to get an honest verdict; you have my address!

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I buy fried shallot and fried spring onions from the Asian stores although they are difficult to find as I run out of spring onions and could only find shallot. They are crispy . Usually, add it to my a Po ,Dumpling or chinese dishes such as shrimp and lobster sauce as topping.

I have not tried the spicy chili crisp that shrinrap panic if he does nto have jar although I just bought a jar last week i my trip to the Asians store.

Am cooking Italian nowadays. Was too tired to post.

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Bought a jar of fried onions! Thanks for the heads up!. These looked better than the bottle labled fried shallots. Aht the bulbs in the picture look like shallots to me, so…

Like I needed those. :smirk:

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I have both the fried shallot and fried onions
I like them esp when I am making shrimp lobster sauce, or dumplings esp when I am out of fresh spring onions.

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Also to garnish stir fries and fried rice, soups, casseroles, etc.

Very versatile product(s).

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Nice! Those are delicious on about anything…
How did your chili crisp condiment come out for you?

It doesn’t seem to have enough oil, and the color is more brownish than the red in the store bought version I. As I mentioned above, it’s a little salty, and I don’t know exactly how that happened. I used a mash-up of recipes. I find I’m using it as I’m cooking, and in that scenario, it’s working out great. Haven’t used it too much as a condiment. I’m doing a low carb thing, and I think that impacts my choices.


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Well considering it was a bit of an experiment sounds like it wasn’t a lost cause! I suspect the store bought condiment uses some kind of preservative to keep the color red.

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Used it in burgers tonight, and husband enjoyed it!

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More choices

The 5 Best Chile Crisp Sauces You Can Buy Online

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I agree wholeheartedly!
Believe I wrote about that a couple years ago
I also cannot be without a few bottles in my pantry!

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Trader Joe’s is now carrying Chili Crisp. I bought some but haven’t tried it yet, as I still have some of the Laoganma jar left.

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An interesting tutorial on home made Chili Crisp.

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Amazing link, and just in time for using last year’s dried chilis
(chilies?), and starting this years seeds! Chicken claw pepper or Kasmiri (sp?) going on the list.

What is the re-used salt okay for?

ETA; Okay, I’ve watched most of it, and I think I’m just buying some.

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