Laoganma (Lao Gan Ma) Chilisauce Xiang La Cui 210g (Pack of 3)

Tasty! Will buy again

The story of Lao Gan Ma is well known now- Tao Habi, the owner of a small noodle shop, realized that her sauce, not her noodles, was what her customers crave. She decided to specialize in selling the sauce, which led to her hiring employees, then building a plant, and eventually becoming China’s first female billionaire. If you’re a fan of real Chinese cooking, one taste of this wonderful sauce is all you need to understand how that happened. It’s not a hot sauce, like sriracha or Tabasco; it’s much more complicated than that. It’s a very flavorful, umami-rich condiment that can transform a plain bowl of rice into a meal. I discovered it through a wonderful YouTube channel entitled “Chinese Cooking Demystified” which I recommend to all fans of authentic cuisine. (They even have a recipe for making your own chili crisp). You can add it to a bowl of plain noodles, as Ms. Huabi did in her shop, or eat it with vegetables, add it to dipping sauces, stir fry it with meat, and some even serve it over ice cream. A bottle of Chili Crisp (and other Lao Gan Mai condiments) sells for $3.48 in my local Asian supermarket, but the demand is so high that they haven’t had it in stock for a few weeks, which is why I ended up paying a premium to buy it here. I’m hoping three bottles lasts me a while, but I do eat a lot of rice...

This is a great chili oil. It comes in a glass container to retain crunch and flavor. It is not as spicy as it looks. Add layers of flavor to soup, pasta, even toast. I literally put this on everything. It does have a lot of calories, so user be aware. Otherwise, delicious addition to your pantry and will make your dishes wow.

Here is a list of all the ways I have used this crunchy, garlicky, spicy oil; On a baked potato with sour cream, green onions and sharp cheddar, it took the place of bacon and in fact was better than a bacon version. On a chorizo and eggs breakfast burrito. On a falafel wrap On a fattoush salad On a pita with hummus and cucumbers Mixed into chicken salad Mixed into egg salad Mixed into hawaiian style macaroni salad Mixed into ranch dressing for a weekend salad using leftover pulled pork and roasted corn On a slice of reheated cheese pizza On reheated eggplant rollatini Stirred into couscous with steamed spinach for an easy sidedish drizzled onto boiled shrimp with slices of lemon Stirred into roasted brussels sprouts with cream cheese on a triscuit with goat cheese on a triscuit stirred into some bland leftover panda express noodles mixed into garlic aioli on a fresh mozz, arugala and tomato sandwich stirred into shin ramen along with a poached egg for a quickie lunch On a roasted spaghetti squash with a little bit of parm added to a Big Mac added to chicken noodle soup stirred into mayo for a turkey sandwich added to a grilled ham and cheese I could go on, this stuff is just so tasty. My only advice is to use it when something is already cooked, like on barbecued chicken or a salad dressing that needs a little more oomph. The jar has some seperation, you can mix it up to try to distribute the oil or just skim off the top for some things (like drizzling on a plate of french fries versus using a dollop in potato salad), I was worried my jar was getting kind dry and compacted so I added a generous tsp of olive oil and gave it a good stir and never really noticed a difference the next time I used it. But it's up to you. What is super amazing about this mix is that it isn't new it isn't some really obscure ingredient like banana flowers or grains of paradise, which is probably why it tastes so amazing on so many regular foods.

Meh spicy but the texture of oil with flakes isn’t great. I was recommended my serious eats as a good hot sauce/hot add in to food. Although great tasting, the texture because it’s not an emulsified mix but oil with flakes and whole beans just dosnt lend itself to the applications and mouth feel I wanted for mixing in dumplings dipping sauce or on top of omelettes. The heat was good and balanced.

I love to eat this from the jar--I expected it to be hot, but it was not. My friends expect it to taste hot too, but it isn't but it is delicious! This stuff is so good! I love it. I made a dip with cream cheese, sour cream, sauteed onion and red pepper, and a whole jar of this, and it came out phenomenal! Wow it adds so much to everything you put it in or on. I just ordered 3 more jars, but I accidentally ordered a Mexican version of this called crunchy chili. MY only disappointment was that the crunch of this sauce disappeared in my dip. I love the crunch when I eat it out of the jar. Maybe next time I will just pour it over a slab of cream cheese, but it will look so hot people won't even try it. Oh well I will find out the best use for this someday.

Delicious

I grow 12 different kinds of hot peppers each year, ranging from super spicy habaneros to thai chilis to jalapenos. I I make a hot pepper paste by roasting the peppers with garlic and oil and then blend and freeze in small batches to have for the entire year. That is my real favorite but this is the best one that other people can buy and completely different than anything that I have ever tasted! Crunchy, spicy but not overpowering! I have been eating it plain by the spoonful ever since I opened the jar to try it. It is so addictive! You will be looking for excuses to put this on anything and everything. Enjoy! The price is a whole other amazing story. Similar items sell for $6-10 for one jar. You get 3 of these for $12 - wow!

Great flavor

11/10, the best chili crunch there is!

This is delicious on anything! Love it!!

Arrived promptly and as advertised. Can’t wait to try it on some ramen.

My first jar of this was a gift...then I was hooked for life! It is phenomenal on anything...fish, chicken, shrimp, pork. You name it.