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Does chili crisp need a new spokesperson? At this point in the condiment’s long history, when you can find at least seven different brands at Walmart alone, probably not. But James Park is better than a spokesperson. As he puts it in his new book, Chili Crisp, he is a chili crisp hype man.
If you follow the food writer and recipe developer on Instagram, you know that he’s fond of glossy noodles, jammy egg yolks, and crispy rice, and his new book makes the case that every single one of these comfort foods is even better with chili crisp. Although he didn’t grow up eating chili crisp (Park grew up in Korea and moved to the US at age 13), he approaches the topic with care and reverence and the recipes with a thrill-seeking sense of inventiveness. The book’s intro cites the tagline of Fly By Jing, one of Park’s favorite brands of chili crisp: “Not traditional, but personal.”
Park makes the case that plenty of the Korean dishes he grew up with could benefit from a flash of chili crisp. There’s chili crisp bibim guksu, chili crisp tteokbokki, and pork mandu that are seasoned from the inside out with chili crisp. Italian staples like focaccia, carbonara, and panzanella are all prime for the chili crisp treatment. The spicy oil even has a place in desserts, alongside nutty tahini, creamy coconut milk, and sweet peaches.
Once you start to read the book, you begin to imagine chili crisp in a million different places you never dreamed of before. And why shouldn’t we mix chili crisp into our egg salad sandwiches or churn it into our ice cream?
Who this book is for
If you have a tendency to pick up a new jar of chili crisp every time you visit a cool restaurant or specialty store, and you’re noticing the jars start to accumulate in your pantry, this book will give you ample ideas to capitalize on each drop of red oil.
And if your bank account is starting to dry up from all of the jars of chili crisp you’ve been bringing into your home, this book will teach you how to make your own signature chili crisp, fit for drizzling into Shin Ramyun or giving as gifts to lucky neighbors.
What we can’t wait to cook
While I’ve flagged at least a dozen recipes from this book to make as gratifyingly quick meals, I’m especially hyped about the Chili Crisp Bucatini Carbonara as a sub-15-minute dinner. I plan on turning some of the sweetest late-August tomatoes into Park’s Panzanella With a Twist. And later this fall, when I’m craving melted cheese and toasted bread, I’m going to be all about the Spicy Garlicky Corn Cheese Ciabatta Bread.
