Green Chilli Crisp

Recipe For Drizzling, Dipping Or Dunking

Green chilli crisp recipe is a take on the ever-popular red chilli crisp. The most famous commercial version, Lao Gan Ma, was first made by entrepreneur Tao Huabi, who started out selling noodles topped with her own chilli sauce in Guiyang before turning it into a factory brand in the late 1990s. It's since become one of the most widely recognised jarred condiments to come out of Guizhou province, China. That original is deep red, oily and built for heat. Green chilli crisp still has the crunch and the technique of aromatics fried until golden, then bloomed in hot oil, but changes the base flavour to fresh green chillies, cilantro, spring onion and makrut lime leaf, so what goes in the jar is considerably more fragrant than its red cousin. For the green chilli crisp, the thinly sliced shallots and garlic are slow-cooked in oil until they are golden and crumble between fingers. Then the fresh green mix is made with diced chillies, chopped cilantro stalks and roots, spring onion greens, sesame seeds and shredded makrut lime leaf, which gets ‘cooked’ only by the hot oil poured over it. That pour is when the whole jar comes together, and the oil should be just short of smoking, so it sizzles into something fragrant without scorching them. This green chilli crisp uses long green chillies, which have a tendency to be mild enough for everyday cooking. Jalapeños are hotter with a better flavour, and Thai green chillies push it towards the hotter scale. So pick the chillies based on who is eating this condiment. The makrut lime leaves are optional but worth sourcing if you can, as they add a citrusy, slightly floral note that regular lime zest can't quite replicate.