James Park has a thing for chili crisp. Although he's now a self-described “chili crisp ambassador,” he didn't stumble upon the Chinese condiment until he was an adult. When he discovered the dollop that would change everything, chili crisp became an indispensable part of his life. He focuses on his favorite fiery condiment in his new book, Chili Crisp: 50+ Recipes to Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings.
Evan Kleiman: You're Korean. You didn't grow up with chili crisp. When did you discover it?
James Park: I first came to the world of chili crisp when I moved to New York City. I grew up in Alabama. I wasn't exposed to a lot of ethnic grocery stores and there was no good access to a lot of ingredients. So when I came to New York and found myself in the grocery aisle in Hong Kong Supermarket, which is one of my favorite grocery stores in Chinatown, there were just jars filled with an entire aisle of the iconic Lao Gan Ma. It really intrigued me. What about this brand that was just taking up the entire aisle? I was really fascinated. I picked it up and the rest is history.
How does chili crisp differ from chili oil?
I think a lot of people use those terms interchangeably but chili crisp is a combination of chili oil and a crisp, which could be chili flakes or any other flavoring items like fried garlic or fresh shallots. Chili oil is just the infused oil itself, so you will not see any additional ingredients in it.
What was your "a ha" tastebud moment that opened up your chili crisp imagination, so to speak?
I will never forget that delicious moment. It involved fried chicken, specifically the one from Popeyes. I was having a wonderful fried chicken feast from Popeyes, as one does. You should get mashed potatoes and biscuits. I was building my perfect bite with that warm buttery Popeyes biscuit. You open them up, you slather on those creamy, savory mashed potatoes, and you kind of shred those juicy chicken thigh parts. Then you cover that with a giant chunk of chicken skin and you add a dollop of chili crisp on both [sides of the] biscuit, the top part and on top of the fried chicken skin. You close that and you mold it into the perfect bite.
When I took a bite of that, it was like a whole new world was unlocked in front of me — the crispiness of fried chicken skin, the savoriness and a little crunch from the pepper flakes of spicy chili crisp. It was an unforgettable moment. Ever since, I was always discovering new things that I could pair with chili crisp. And now, I can never stop thinking about it.
Growing up in Alabama, James Park wasn't exposed to many ethnic grocery stores. His first encounter with chili crisp rocked his world. Photo by Heami Lee.
So there are two essential things to consider when we're about to make the perfect chili crisp. What are they?
The first one is oil. The second one is pepper flakes and any sort of add-ons. There's a chapter in my book that shows you how to make your perfect chili crisp formula. The oil-flavoring chili flakes, these are all really the wild cards that can make your chili peppers taste so differently. What makes my chili peppers taste so different is the blend of different chili flakes, which are called gochugaru. It is Korean red pepper flakes and Sichuan pepper flakes, which don't have the tingling mala taste but have the signature bright spiciness, and Aleppo pepper flakes, which have the subtle but deeply red, beautiful color when it's infused with oil.
Then, in terms of oil and other flavoring, I go with canola oil so that the pepper flakes shine. But you can have really wild, fun, delicious chili crisp by using a flavored oil such as beef fat or duck fat or even lard and other flavorings such as soy sauce, brown sugar, dried onion, fried garlic — any ingredients that really speak to you. It feels like it's representative of who you are and your flavors. You can create the perfect blend of that and those all decide your ultimate amazing chili crisp.
This morning, I had two eggs fried in olive oil topped with a copious amount of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp. Eggs seem to be the gateway ingredient for many different hot sauces. What are some of the ways that you marry eggs and chili crisp in a recipe?
[I make a] chili crisp bucatini carbonara. That one, I mix my chili crisp with egg yolks. It creates this beautiful orange color and cuts down the richness of egg yolks when it's made into a carbonara sauce.
The other thing that I really love, which ultimately opens up this world of chili crisp, is frying eggs in chili crisp. Chili crisp has that delicious flavoring, whether it's from fried shallots or garlic, that really seasons the bottom of the eggs and makes their edges crispy. [Eggs fried in] chili crisp taste like the best version of eggs and in a different way than if you were to just [fry eggs in] olive oil and finish them with [chili crisp] because as the eggs get cooked, they absorb all the delicious flavors of chili crisp around the edges so each bite is perfectly seasoned.
You also have a savory morning oats recipe that includes chili crisp.
Yes, I love oats. Growing up in Alabama, I didn't really see that oats could be savory. But later in my life, I saw a lot of people using oats as a way to make congee. That really changed the way that I approached oatmeal. Savory oatmeal is my way of combining my love for flavorful congee and oatmeal. [I make] a quick flavorful broth by mixing water, miso, and chili crisp, so the base to cook oats is really, really delicious. Whether you're using grits or oats or even rice, you can make flavorful, delicious mush, and it's a perfect way to start your day.
The "Chili Crisp" cookbook gets creative with the flavorful oil, using it in recipes for morning oats and swirled brownies. Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books.
Tell us about your fascination with all things Ina Garten, and the recipe she inspired.
She is my mom that I wish I had but I don't have. She is someone who taught me what regular American cooking could be like. I didn't really know what other households were making. But the way she was enjoying food, how she showed her love through her signature roast chicken and the way she welcomed people, she really used food as a way to show her love to people and to bring her friends together. That's when I really saw that food was something more than just a fuel for your energy. I loved how she was using food as a platform to share her stories to connect with other people. Ultimately, everything that she has done through her recipes and her life and her marriage with Jeffrey have been my guide in how to live the best life, like Queen Ina.
I love that. Tell us about your skillet-roasted chili crisp chicken and vegetables that she inspired.
That's such a great recipe. I went through different versions because it was hard for me to control the right amount of oil for the chili crisp so that it wouldn't come out burnt. What I ended up with based on what Ina was also suggesting was making an oil rub that uses chili crisp and herbs. Once I make this olive oil/chili crisp/paprika situation, I rub it all over the chicken. She also showed me the beauty of the spatchcocked chicken so that it cuts down the cooking time and there are more ways that you can add flavors. [It has] all the vegetables and the simplicity of roast chicken and [shows] how a simple recipe can really bring a level of comfort. This is truly my homage to everything that she has taught me about how to make the best roast chicken.
That sounds so good. For many of us who have fallen under the spell of chili crisp, we quickly learned how delicious a spoonful was on a bowl of ice cream. What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate it into dessert dishes?
I want to share my sad, failed experiment as I was exploring how to incorporate chili crisp into my desserts. I thought that I could just put regular Lao Gan Ma chili crisp into my dessert, so I made a spicy peach crumble. I thought, "Oh, a little bit of spice to the peach, it'll be great." It was so bad that I could not even taste it. Imagine really warm cooked peaches with garlic and scallions. Those two flavors did not go together. So it kind of put me back to the drawing board.
How can I introduce the magic of chili crisp so that it still complements the sweetness of desserts? That helped me come up with what I call Very Naughty Chili Crisp. It only has the essentials — oil, a different blend of pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and a variety of nuts. I really love nuts in my desserts because they add a wonderful nutty flavor and a nice crunchy texture. By having this dessert, I started this new world of savory, spicy desserts that I never thought was possible. So adding a little bit of that on my pound cake or a little bit of that on top of ice cream, you can really put that dessert chili crisp on top of everything. You will fall in love with a new third perspective of flavors and desserts that you've never experienced.
Skillet-Roasted Chili Crisp Chicken and Vegetables
Serves 4 - 6
If there’s one dish that I can eat every day without getting sick of it, it would be roast chicken. And ever since I learned how to spatchcock chicken— which cuts the cooking time in half and creates an impressive visual of a flattened chicken—I never looked back. There are countless roast chicken recipes out there, but what makes this recipe particularly exciting is the use of a spicy olive oil mixture that checks all the boxes. It has a perfect blend of salt, fat, acid, and heat. The olive oil provides a wonderfully fruity, fatty foundation. A bright lemon, which uses zest and juice, brings the acid, while chili crisp and smoked paprika add a much-needed spicy kick. Then there comes kosher salt to bring everything together. After getting a spicy massage with this nearly perfect spicy oil, the chicken is nestled on a bed of vegetables, which absorbs all the delicious flavors from the chicken. The copious amount of fat, from olive oil and chili crisp, makes the chicken skin extra crispy and creates an addictive sauce. Any hearty root vegetables, like radishes and sweet potatoes, will be fantastic. A bite of spicy, tangy, crispy, insanely juicy roast chicken tastes like chili crisp heaven, and I would be more than happy (in fact, excited!) to eat this chicken every day.
Ingredients
- 1⁄3 cup [80 ml] extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons
- ¼ cup [60 g] chili crisp
- 2½ Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- One 3 lb [1.4 kg] whole young chicken
- 1½ lb [680 g] peewee potatoes, halved
- 2 or 3 onions, roughly chopped
- 1 or 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 5¼ oz [150 g] cabbage, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450°F [230°C]. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tsp), freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup [60 ml]), chili crisp, 1 Tbsp of the salt, and paprika. Mix everything well and set aside. -
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Turn it breast-side down, then take out the backbone by cutting through both sides of the spine with a pair of kitchen scissors. (You can save the backbone for making chicken stock later.) Flip the chicken over. Firmly push down on the center part of the chicken breast until you hear the joint bone crack and the chicken lies flat. Season both sides of the chicken generously with about 1 Tbsp of the salt, making sure all surfaces are covered. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. This step will draw the moisture from the chicken, ensuring crispy chicken skin.
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Meanwhile, add the potatoes, onions, carrots, and cabbage to a 12 in [30 cm] cast-iron sauté pan or skillet. Halve the remaining lemon and slice it about 1/4 in [6 mm] thick. Scatter the sliced lemons in the pan with the vegetables. Season the lemon and vegetable mixture with 2 Tbsp of the reserved spicy olive oil mixture and the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of salt. Toss everything thoroughly, preferably with your clean hands, making sure everything is fully coated with the spicy olive oil.
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After 15 minutes, there should be some moisture on the salted spatchcocked chicken. Pat both sides dry with a paper towel and arrange it, skin-side down, on top of the vegetables and lemon in the pan.
Pour half of the remaining oil inside the chicken, where the bones are, first. Flip the chicken over and pour the remaining oil on the skin side. Use your clean hands to make sure the spicy oil mixture coats the entire surface of the chicken. -
Bake the chicken in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F [74°C]. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
While the chicken rests, prepare the green onion garnish. Cut each green onion crosswise into thirds, and slice each piece lengthwise into long, thin strips. Place the sliced green onions in a bowl of cold water to keep them crisp. -
When ready to serve, cut the chicken into quarters or eighths, scatter the sliced green onions around the pan, and place the chicken pieces on top. Serve immediately, directly from the pan. The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.