Learn How to Make Chile Crunch and you'll have one of Chef Tom's favorite condiments ready to eat. Made with shallots, garlic, chiles, mushrooms and loads of other ingredients, this Chile Crunch is so versatile that you'll want to put it on everything. This taste explosion from this recipe is something you're going to want to taste again and again!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The oil gets infused in stages, not all at once. Frying the shallots and Thai chiles first, straining, then frying the garlic and ginger separately keeps each aromatic from burning at a different rate than the others.
- Straining twice protects the final texture. Pulling the solids out after each fry means the finished chile crunch gets its crunch from the fresh crisped shallots and garlic added back in at the end, not from bits that turned bitter in the oil.
- 375°F oil poured over the dry ingredients does the final cooking. Rather than frying everything in the pan, pouring hot oil directly over the arbol chiles, mushrooms, peanuts, and spices in a bowl gently toasts them just enough without any risk of scorching.
- A 30-minute rest lets everything mellow together. Letting the mixture sit before jarring gives the miso, MSG, and Bachan's sauce time to dissolve into the oil instead of sitting as separate pockets of flavor.
How to Make Chile Crunch
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.4 stars by 19 users
Category
Condiment
Cuisine
Asian
Servings
45
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Calories
35
Discover the delicious and unique flavor of Chile Crunch! This all-natural condiment, created from Chef Tom’s own recipe, is a wonderful combination of shallots, garlic, chiles, and mushrooms. Add a bit of heat and an explosion of flavor to your favorite dishes, and enjoy the taste of this marvelous condiment again and again!
Ingredients
- 3 cups avocado oil
- 1 cup shallots, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh Thai chiles, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
- 1 cup dried arbol chiles, stems & seeds removed
- 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, crumbled
- 1/2 cup peanuts, lightly salted, crushed
- 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
-
2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
-
1 tbsp Bachan’s Original Japanese BBQ Sauce
Directions
- Place oil, shallots and Thai chiles in a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet. Place on side burner of the Napoleon. Turn on the burner and set to high heat. Cook until the shallots and chiles start to brown at the edges. Strain the solids from the oil.
- Return the oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook just until the garlic starts to get some color. Strain.
- Return the oil to the skillet. Bring the temperature up to 375ºF.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot oil into the bowl. Stir. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Remove the star anise. Add the shallots, Thai chiles, garlic & ginger. Distribute into jars and refrigerate.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why fry the aromatics in stages instead of all together?
Shallots and Thai chiles brown at a different rate than garlic and ginger. Frying them separately and straining each batch keeps every component from overcooking before the others are ready.
Why strain the fried shallots, chiles, garlic, and ginger out of the oil?
Straining protects the aromatics from continuing to cook and turning bitter while you heat the oil further for the next step. They get added back in at the end, fully crisped rather than blackened.
Why pour the hot oil over the dry ingredients instead of frying them directly?
Pouring 375°F oil over the arbol chiles, mushrooms, peanuts, and spices in a bowl gives them a gentle toast from residual heat without direct contact with a hot pan, which would risk burning the more delicate ingredients.
Why let the mixture rest for 30 minutes before jarring?
The rest gives the miso paste and Bachan's sauce time to fully dissolve into the warm oil, so the finished condiment has an even flavor throughout instead of concentrated pockets.
Why remove the star anise before jarring?
Star anise is meant to gently perfume the oil during the rest, not stay in the final product — left in, its flavor would keep intensifying and eventually overpower the other ingredients.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — this is a stovetop condiment from start to finish. A side burner is convenient but any burner or stovetop will do the job.
Recipe Highlights
Staged aromatic frying: Cooking the shallots and chiles first, then the garlic and ginger separately, keeps faster-browning ingredients from scorching while slower ones catch up.
Double straining: Pulling the aromatics out of the oil between fries protects their texture and prevents them from turning bitter before they're folded back in at the end.
Hot oil poured over dry ingredients: Using the 375°F oil itself as the cooking method for the peanuts, mushrooms, and arbol chiles avoids direct pan contact that could burn them.
The 30-minute rest: Giving the mixture time to sit lets the miso and Bachan's sauce fully integrate into the oil instead of remaining as separate flavor pockets once jarred.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 35
- Fat
- 3 grams
- Saturated Fat
- grams
- Cholesterol
- milligrams
- Sodium
- 10 milligrams
- Carbs
- 1 grams
- Fiber
- grams
- Sugar
- grams
- Protein
- grams
