Cook This: Three recipes from The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp

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Our cookbook of the week is The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp by Fly By Jing founder and CEO Jing Gao.

Jump to the recipes: zhong dumplings, Sichuan popcorn chicken and chili paneer.

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Fiery and sweet, crunchy and slick, chili crisp doesn’t just add complex flavour to anything it touches. “For me, chili crisp is far more than a condiment. It’s a vessel that has carried forth my identity and has helped others find and honour theirs,” author, chef and entrepreneur Jing Gao writes in her cookbook debut, The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp (Penguin Canada, 2023).

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Gao’s family in Sichuan always made chili crisp at home, creating unique blends. More than a decade ago, at her fast-casual Shanghai restaurant, Baoism, and at global pop-up dinners, Gao set out to craft her own, drawing on the relationships she’d built over years of sourcing trips. Scented with fruity erjingtiao chilies, floral tribute peppers, cold-pressed organic oils and artisanally produced fermented black beans, blended with mushroom and seafood powders for umami and fried garlic and shallots for texture, her perspective on ingredients set her chili crisp apart.

“When I started making products, it was very clear that by using the same quality ingredients that I was using in my private kitchen and my supper club, I was going to have a product that is unmatched in the market because I could see that no one else was using ingredients like that for commercially available products.”

Gao’s sauces gained a cult following among her guests, and in 2018, her chilli crisp became one of Kickstarter’s highest-funded food projects. Today, stores across the United States sell Fly By Jing sauces, and she expects them to become available at Canadian grocery stores and on Amazon Canada in early 2024.

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Before her career in food, Gao worked in marketing and tech. After graduating from business school at Western University, she lived in Beijing, Singapore and Shanghai and started a blog about Chinese cuisine. Gao says she had long wanted to write a cookbook but could only have written it after launching Fly By Jing. “It’s a very personal journey — my story of starting the company, how I got to where I am.”

For the last four and a half years, Gao has been “consumed with the mission” of Fly By Jing: exposing Americans to the flavours of her hometown, Chengdu, China, through her Sichuan sauces and pantry staples. With The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp, she hopes to spread her message further.

She wrote the book during the “most difficult and intense year of building Fly By Jing.” The company has grown exponentially, tripling every year since it launched online in February 2019, requiring much of her as the CEO. At the same time as running a rapidly growing business and writing a cookbook, Gao raised $12 million in Series B funding, hired an executive team and planned a new Sichuan-inspired organic market, Suá Superette, which opened in Los Angeles in November 2023.

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“(Suá) is separate from Fly By Jing. Different business partners, different businesses entirely, but they’re connected in the way that it’s furthering the same mission of sharing these flavours with more people,” says Gao. “Imagine super convenient, grab-and-go in the style of a Pret A Manger, but very premium, high-quality and with the flavours of Sichuan — a lot of which is powered by Fly By Jing condiments and ingredients.”

After leaving Chengdu, Gao’s family moved around a lot. Her father was a nuclear physics professor, and they lived in Austria, England, France, Germany and Italy before settling in Ontario for Gao’s high school and university years. After graduation, Gao returned to China, where she immersed herself in the food culture. The more she learned, the more she cooked.

“It was just out of sheer interest at first, and then it became this personal quest to reconnect with my roots. And then the more I dug into that, the clearer it became to me that there was work to be done to help change perceptions of Chinese food internationally.”

Gao’s earliest memories of food in China are the fly restaurants of Chengdu, “dingy, hole-in-the-wall places that are so good they’re said to attract people like flies.” The complex, layered flavours stayed with her — ultimately inspiring her company’s name.

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One of her first “a-ha” moments was in 2012, filming an episode of chef Ken Hom and Ching He Huang’s BBC series, Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure. Gao was their guide, and they cooked together with her grandparents in their Chengdu kitchen. “It felt like a different sort of deeper interaction than I’d had with them in so long. And that was a very special memory for me, and it’s been driving me to continue.”

Before Gao moved back to China, she hadn’t considered a career in food. Living in Europe and Canada, her mom made do with what she had — cooking Chinese food at home using available ingredients. By the time they moved to Ontario, where they had better access to Chinese products, she had already adapted. “Her cooking by that point had become sort of this unrecognizable mishmash of things,” says Gao, laughing. “It was good, but it was nothing like the food I experienced when I was living in China in my 20s.”

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Driven by curiosity, Gao learned as much as she could about Chinese food. Immersing herself in the history and culture of the cuisine was one thing. Learning how to cook it, work with the ingredients and understand the flavour profiles was another. “(It) was probably another 10 years before I felt comfortable expressing something of my own through Chinese food.”

The book’s 85 recipes span appetizers, street snacks, main courses, vegetarian dishes, rice and noodles, sweets, cocktails, condiments and seasonings. They’re rooted in tradition but reflect how Gao lives and eats today: an adaptation of her grandfather’s “red rabbit” salad, hongshao carnitas tacos (a marriage of Mexican and Sichuanese flavours), Wagyu cheeseburger pot stickers and zhong dumplings, a well-loved Chengdu street snack.

Since Gao launched Fly By Jing in 2018, chili crisp has exploded in popularity, which she attributes to its versatility; it’s as at home on fresh fruit, pasta and pizza as it is on noodles, stir-fries and ice cream. Showcasing chili crisp and other Sichuan flavours in diverse contexts invites experimentation.

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“That is how a culture thrives and remains alive. You have to push it forward because if it doesn’t evolve, then that’s when something dies,” says Gao. “In the past, there’s been kind of a suspicious attitude towards Chinese food or other marginalized cuisines because of a lack of understanding. And if we can break down those barriers (we can) show people that you don’t need to change so much about yourself to enjoy these flavours. You don’t need to learn everything there is to learn about traditional Sichuan cuisine and only cook Sichuan dishes to enjoy these condiments. You can make it your own.”

ZHONG DUMPLINGS

Makes: 6 servings

Sauce:
1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
2 or 3 pieces star anise
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 piece cassia bark (1 to 2 inch/2.5 to 5cm)
1/2 cup (120 mL) light soy sauce
1/2 cup (120 mL) Chili Oil (recipe follows)
1 tbsp black vinegar
1 large garlic clove, minced

Filling:
1 lb (450 g) ground pork (30 per cent fat, 70 per cent lean)
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
4 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1 egg
1 (1-inch/2.5-cm) piece ginger, minced
1/2 cup (120 mL) water

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1 (14-oz /395-g) package dumpling wrappers

Step 1

To make the sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, infuse the brown sugar, star anise, mushrooms and cassia bark in soy sauce for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely before stirring in the chili oil, vinegar and garlic. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month or in the fridge for up to 3 months. Remove the spices with a slotted spoon before using.

Step 2

To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the pork, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, the fish sauce, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, salt, pepper, scallions, egg, ginger and water and mix well. If you’d like to test the meat’s seasoning, fry a little bit in a pan with some oil. It should taste delicious and umami-rich with no other seasoning.

Step 3

To form the dumplings: Put some water in a small bowl. Dip a finger in the water and wet the perimeter of a dumpling wrapper. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle of each wrapper and fold the wrapper in half. Crimp the edges of the dumpling with your fingers to seal and form into half-moon shapes. Transfer the dumpling to a tray or large platter and repeat with the remaining wrappers. You can make these ahead and freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the dumplings in a single layer on a tray in the freezer. Once frozen, store the dumplings in a resealable bag to save on space.

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Step 4

To cook the dumplings: In a large pot over high heat, bring some salted water to a boil. Once boiling, drop the dumplings in, about a dozen at a time so as not to crowd the pot, making sure to gently stir right away so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The dumplings should start to float to the top after 3 to 4 minutes. Wait another 15 seconds, then, using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water.

Step 5

When ready to serve, in a small bowl, stir the garlic with 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Drizzle the sauce over the freshly boiled dumplings and enjoy! Store any remaining sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

CHILI OIL

Makes: 2 cups

2 cups (480 mL) neutral oil
2 pieces star anise
1 piece cassia bark
1 or 2 pieces cardamom
1 or 2 scallions, white part only, chopped
1 or 2 (1-inch/2.5-cm) pieces ginger, sliced
1 cup (120 g) Ground Chili Powder (recipe follows)
1 tsp sesame seeds

Step 1

In a wok or frying pan over high heat, warm the oil with the star anise, cassia bark, cardamom, scallions and ginger, until the spices are bubbling and it reaches 285F (140C) on an instant-read thermometer.

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GROUND CHILI POWDER

You can buy preground chili powder, but like most spices, it loses its potency and lustre very quickly. For the best effect, I’d recommend buying whole chilies and toasting them with a bit of oil before you grind them.

Makes: 1/3 cup

1 tbsp neutral oil
1/3 cup (50 g) dried chilies (such as erjingtiao)

Step 1

Remove the stems of the chilies and cut them into segments.

Step 2

In a wok or frying pan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the chilies to the pan, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until the chilies smell very aromatic and deepen in colour to a bright red.

Step 3

Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

Step 4

Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the chilies to a powder. It’s up to you whether to grind them to a fine powder or leave coarse. You can use the ground chilies for chili oil, stir-fries, or many other recipes in this book. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

SICHUAN POPCORN CHICKEN

Makes: 6 servings

2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp five-spice powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups (240 g) tapioca starch
2 eggs
Neutral oil for frying
1 tbsp Mala Spice Mix (recipe follows)
1 cup (15 g) Thai basil leaves, lightly packed

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Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

Step 2

Have on hand two shallow bowls. In the first bowl, add the tapioca starch. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip each piece in the beaten eggs, then in the tapioca starch.

Step 3

Line a plate with paper towels.

Step 4

Add 3 inches (7.5 cm) oil in a wok over high heat and heat to about 350F (175C) on an instant-read thermometer.

Step 5

Working in batches, add the battered chicken pieces and fry until golden and crispy, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the prepared plate and sprinkle evenly with the spice mix.

Step 6

Quickly fry the basil leaves in the wok until crispy and translucent, about 30 seconds or so, and toss together with the fried chicken. Serve hot.

MALA SPICE MIX

Makes: 1/2 cup

1/3 cup (50 g) dried erjingtiao chili, cut into segments
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 pieces star anise
2 pieces cardamom
1 tsp cloves
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt

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Step 1

In a wok or frying pan over medium-low heat, toast the chili, cumin, fennel, star anise, cardamom and cloves until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 2

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and let cool.

Step 3

Add the sugar and salt to the toasted mixture and mix well. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the entire mixture until it reaches a fine powder consistency. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

CHILI PANEER

Makes: 4 servings

Batter:
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp Ground Roasted Sichuan Pepper (recipe follows)
3 tbsp water, or as needed

Sauce:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Sichuan Chili Crisp (recipe follows)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp black vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame seeds
3 to 4 tbsp neutral oil

1 cup (200 g) paneer, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3-cm) cubes

Scallions, green parts only, sliced on the diagonal

Step 1

To make the batter: In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, flour, salt, and roasted Sichuan pepper. Pour in the water and whisk to form a smooth batter, adding more water as needed to keep the consistency smooth.

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Step 2

To make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, chili crisp, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and sesame seeds together. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Dip the paneer cubes in the batter and immediately transfer to the pan, frying and turning the cubes until the cheese is evenly golden brown on each side, 2 to 3 minutes. When all the cubes have been fried, pour the sauce into the pan and stir-fry for about 2 minutes to coat the paneer. The sauce should reduce a bit and shine and glisten.

Step 4

Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the paneer and sauce to a serving bowl, and top with the scallions.

GROUND ROASTED SICHUAN PEPPER

Makes: 1 tbsp

2 tbsp whole Sichuan pepper

Step 1

Heat a wok or frying pan over low heat and add the Sichuan pepper, stirring with a spatula to toast it evenly. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes, making sure not to burn the pepper. Good Sichuan pepper will still have a lot of its oils and fragrance that will be released as you toast it. Remove the wok from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Step 2

Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the pepper to a fine powder. You’ll find that the inner husk of the Sichuan pepper is hard to grind and will be quite visible. Since it doesn’t have any flavour, it should ideally be sifted out for the best flavour experience. I usually pass mine through a fine-mesh strainer. Use the Sichuan pepper immediately.

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SICHUAN CHILI CRISP

Makes: 3 cups

2 cups (480 mL) Sichuan rapeseed or neutral oil
1 piece cassia bark
2 pieces star anise
1 or 2 pieces cardamom
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/4 cup (50 g) preserved black beans
1/2 cup (125 g) Ground Chili Powder (see recipe)
2 tbsp mushroom powder
2 1/3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp Ground Roasted Sichuan Pepper (see recipe)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp fried shallots, store-bought
2 tbsp fried minced garlic, store-bought

Step 1

In a large wok or frying pan over high heat, warm the rapeseed oil to 350F (175C) on an instant-read thermometer. Add the cassia bark, star anise, and cardamom and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until their fragrances have been released into the oil. (You’ll know when this has happened when the spices stop bubbling in the oil.) Pour the oil through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the spices.

Step 2

Add the garlic, ginger, and preserved black beans to the oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Bring the oil to 260F (125C) and add the chili powder, mushroom powder, salt, and roasted Sichuan pepper, stirring to combine and making sure the salt is fully dissolved. Remove the wok from the heat and let the ingredients simmer in the hot oil for a few minutes. Stir in the sesame oil, shallots, and garlic. Allow the mixture to cool.

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Step 3

Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 6 months or in the refrigerator for up to 12 months. You can use the chili crisp right away, but since the flavour develops over time, you’ll find it intensifying after a few days and even more so after a few weeks. Since the solid bits will settle at the bottom, make sure to always mix up the chili oil with a spoon before each use!

Photos and recipes excerpted from The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp by Jing Gao. Copyright ©2023 Jing Gao. Photography by Yudi Ela Echevarria and Robert Nilsson. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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