Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp deserves the respect as the original chili crisp oil. Tao Huabi started as a street vendor selling noodles in Guiyang and later earned the name Lao Gan Ma (old godmother) after being known for feeding poor students free food. Even with the rich background she has, the phenomenon of her famous chili crisp oil has grown bigger than her history, so much so that this oil is being devoured in over 30 countries with recipes like this one popping up to recreate it at home.

The reason I want to talk about the history of this highly addictive oil is because of the podcast episode on The Dave Chang Show with Eddie Huang. Before listening to their conversation, I was already highly aware of the issues with recipe origins getting stolen and watered down. When do we say that food presented to us is paying homage? When is it just a bad representation of forced fusion that is claiming authority on authenticity? There are some cases where it’s easy to make that call for yourself, but there are even more instances where the lines get blurry because no reference is given to how the cook came to put a dish together. No matter the circumstance, I feel that learning more about the history and ties to food is always a good idea. If anything, it should strike up even more inspiration and open up more opportunities in your home cooking to flavors you didn’t know existed.

Here’s my tribute to this popular condiment. I brought this group of ingredients together purely from what I always have on hand, as to never find myself in a situation where I couldn’t whip up a batch if I found myself without. A very sad situation that no one should have to endure. The thinly sliced garlic slivers take the texture a step further with the variety of spices bringing complexity that smells like they should have always been together in the first place. Harmony, the way I love to cook and eat.

Chili Oil

Ingredients
Makes about 16 oz

1 ½ cup neutral oil
1 small head garlic (about ½ cup)
3 small shallots
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP red chili flakes
2 TBSP gochugaru
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cumin

Steps
1. Thinly slice the shallots and garlic cloves with a mandolin. Roughly chop the shallots into smaller pieces.

2. Mix the chili flakes, cinnamon, powder, cumin, sugar, and soy sauce in a large enough bowl that will also fit the oil.

3. Put the shallots and garlic into a pot and pour on the oil. Turn the heat on the stove to low-medium. Let simmer for about 25 minutes after the oil starts to slightly bubble when the onion and garlic turn golden brown.

4. Immediately pour the hot oil, shallots, and garlic through a strainer over the spice mixture. Mix the oil with the spices, and let the shallot and garlic pieces cool on the strainer for about 5 minutes to continue crisping.

5. Stir in the cooled shallots and garlic pieces into the infused oil. Store in a glass jar for about 2 months in the refrigerator.

Notes
- You can finely chop the garlic if you want an even texture.
- Make sure the red chili flakes are spicy. Different brands vary drastically on the spiciness level.
- You can use any strainer or sieve that fits over the bowl.