This all-purpose chile crisp recipe—which is tangy, spicy, and crunchy—will give your other condiments an inferiority complex.
Provided by: SmallRecipe.com
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
| 4 small shallots, thinly sliced |
| 2 heads of garlic, separated into cloves, sliced |
| 1½ cups vegetable oil |
| 2 3″ cinnamon sticks |
| 6 star anise pods |
| 1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, very finely chopped |
| ¼ cup crushed red pepper flakes |
| 2 Tbsp. soy sauce |
| 2 tsp. sugar |
Steps:
- Bring shallots, garlic, oil, cinnamon, and star anise to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, reducing heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer and swirling pot occasionally, until garlic and shallots are browned and crisp, 20–25 minutes. (Take your time—you want to drive all the moisture out before they brown.)
- Mix ginger, red pepper, soy sauce, and sugar in a medium bowl. Strain shallot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over ginger mixture. Let garlic and shallot cool in sieve (this will allow them to crisp further) before stirring back into chile oil.
- Do Ahead: Crisp can be made 1 month ahead. Cover and chill.