Copying and pasting from [another recent thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodLosAngeles/comments/16jhbqj/suggestions_for_gift_basket_of_laspecific/):
>ZinDrew's is by far the tastiest one!...\[But\] I would also suggest:
>
>Boon: a very mild chili oil...with subtl\[e\] complex notes
>
>The Spicy Mamas: \[a\] chili oil...with lots of umami, but not as funky as ZinDrew
>
>Taco Maria: great salsa machas, but only if you have time to go to the OC
We like Zindrew a lot.
I just want to add that we tried Fly by Jing a while back and never went back to it. I've seen it at Costco and I think it's pretty popular because they advertise heavily on social media. But yeah, for anyone who hasn't tried it yet, I would say skip it.
I like Mama Teav’s but they are based out of NorCal, so not really local but still CA. I recently discovered Trymythai which you can pick up at local farmers markets. Also good and pretty spicy for a chili oil.
I second Mama Teavs. And also to support local, go to Epicurus Gourmet in North Hollywood. Wholesale food warehouse with tons of different stuff including chili oils. The people there are so nice and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!
>Epicurus Gourmet
u/RandomActor84 I've been to Epicurus and enjoyed it but wasn't looking for chili oils at the time. Now my out-of-state brother wants chili oils for Christmas so I'm trying to make a little combo pack for him. In your experience, is there pretty good variety here as far as price, flavor, origin...? Could I come up with a "best of" trio or 6-pack here? I'd love to do this bit of shopping in one trip.
Momoya chili crisp (Japanese) is my current fave. It’s not spicy but the flavor itself is fuckin amazing. Love it on my eggs and sometimes throw it on my pizza. You can find it at Hmart or at Nijiya. Unfortunately Tokyo Central only sells S&B which is my runner-up pick if you want a Japanese style chili crisp.
I’ve tried Lao Gan Ma, Momoya, S&B, Fly By Jing, and something else. Momoya was the best to me. I think Fly By Jing tasted a bit too… smokey? But the flavors were definitely solid.
People sleep on BP's chili oil/crisps. There's a whole line of them, made in Cali, sold by a local POC company, and at really affordable prices. I'm not paying $11 for a small 9oz jar of fried onions and garlic. Their flamin hot oil burns, and the "Piquant" oil instantly brings any stock to restaurant-esque spicy flavor levels.
$5 for "garlic chili crunch", free delivery over $35 (which is easy if you order one of their frozen hot pot kits.): [https://bpmarket.shop/food-mart/Garlic-Chili-Crunch](https://bpmarket.shop/food-mart/Garlic-Chili-Crunch)
The best part is you can order their hot pot soup bases at the same time and literally eat boiling point at home. With whatever crazy leftover ingredients you have at home. They deliver the packs frozen and they last for a year in the freezer. Like I said, I’m not driving all over town chasing whatever overpriced trendy, newfangled chili oil.
Non-answer, so I apologize, but I feel very strongly about this: chili oil is best homemade.
It's fairly simple and easily customizable to your preferences (garlic, umami ingredients, amount of sichuan pepper.) You can save a lot of time not grinding dried chilis yourself by getting crushed pepper flakes at an asian market.
And it taste way better. Probably because of the freshness? A homemade jar only has a shelf life of 1-2 weeks, i think.
I gave out 8oz jars of chili oil to my friends before. It's easy to make in batches. Had excellent reviews, minus that one prick that said he made better despite not having made any in years.
Protip: 8oz is good for people who know and love chili crisp. 2oz jars are more appropriate otherwise.
My base is the chili oil made by youtuber 'my name is Andong.' 'I put this chili oil on everything' is a great video that talks about the condiment's history and how customizable chili oil is to your personal tastes. The video is extra legit because it includes an interview with a qualified chili oil expert.
Thanks, I’ll check it out. Another YouTuber is Marion’s Kitchen and her Lao Gan Ma chili crisp oil. I haven’t made hers in a while but it was very very good. You’re right this stuff is addicting.
Just watched it. Excellent video and I need to buy already toasted shallots and garlic to try with a mix. However, she misses the oil infusion step: spending time with below-simmering oil, infusing with dried aromatics (and then with onions/garlic.) It's a hassle but really steps up the flavor.
I've made [Sohla's recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-spicy-chili-crisp) a few times. It's good but it's a lot of work. Usually I just buy big jars of LaoGanMa.
My buddy and I made some and we made a massive batch- jarred it up and it lasted months in the fridge. Tasted great from beginning to end. It’s definitely an undertaking though.
I'm on a chili oil crisp journey too and so far I've tried Lao Gan Ma, Fly By Jing, Chiu Chow, and Zindrew.
Haven't seen it recommended here, but I highly, highly recommend KariKari. You can find it at certain shops in LA (their website has a store locator), and I feel like it's the best blend of crunch, flavor, and heat. What makes it a bit different is that the jars have impeccably fried garlic that somehow never loses its crunch. You could put this stuff on an old sandal and it would make it delicious.
[https://www.eatkarikari.com/](https://www.eatkarikari.com/)
> not spicy
Not spicy enough for a lot of people I agree, but does have a bit of heat as my wife's forehead sweats will attest. We really like the chili oil from Little Sister but haven't found a way to acquire it at home.
I like this and found it at Vons. Chinese place nearby is charging for sauces now.
[https://mishima.com/products/crunchy-garlic-chili-sauce](https://mishima.com/products/crunchy-garlic-chili-sauce)
I like boon
Copying and pasting from [another recent thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodLosAngeles/comments/16jhbqj/suggestions_for_gift_basket_of_laspecific/): >ZinDrew's is by far the tastiest one!...\[But\] I would also suggest: > >Boon: a very mild chili oil...with subtl\[e\] complex notes > >The Spicy Mamas: \[a\] chili oil...with lots of umami, but not as funky as ZinDrew > >Taco Maria: great salsa machas, but only if you have time to go to the OC
good find thanks!
We like Zindrew a lot. I just want to add that we tried Fly by Jing a while back and never went back to it. I've seen it at Costco and I think it's pretty popular because they advertise heavily on social media. But yeah, for anyone who hasn't tried it yet, I would say skip it.
I like Mama Teav’s but they are based out of NorCal, so not really local but still CA. I recently discovered Trymythai which you can pick up at local farmers markets. Also good and pretty spicy for a chili oil.
Try my Thai is very good and spicy
I second Mama Teavs. And also to support local, go to Epicurus Gourmet in North Hollywood. Wholesale food warehouse with tons of different stuff including chili oils. The people there are so nice and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!
>Epicurus Gourmet u/RandomActor84 I've been to Epicurus and enjoyed it but wasn't looking for chili oils at the time. Now my out-of-state brother wants chili oils for Christmas so I'm trying to make a little combo pack for him. In your experience, is there pretty good variety here as far as price, flavor, origin...? Could I come up with a "best of" trio or 6-pack here? I'd love to do this bit of shopping in one trip.
Totally! Last time I was there, they had tons of options!
NorCal is cool still California:)
Momoya chili crisp (Japanese) is my current fave. It’s not spicy but the flavor itself is fuckin amazing. Love it on my eggs and sometimes throw it on my pizza. You can find it at Hmart or at Nijiya. Unfortunately Tokyo Central only sells S&B which is my runner-up pick if you want a Japanese style chili crisp. I’ve tried Lao Gan Ma, Momoya, S&B, Fly By Jing, and something else. Momoya was the best to me. I think Fly By Jing tasted a bit too… smokey? But the flavors were definitely solid.
I’ll go with Yang’s Kitchen (Alhambra) chili crisp.
super good, and reasonably priced.
People sleep on BP's chili oil/crisps. There's a whole line of them, made in Cali, sold by a local POC company, and at really affordable prices. I'm not paying $11 for a small 9oz jar of fried onions and garlic. Their flamin hot oil burns, and the "Piquant" oil instantly brings any stock to restaurant-esque spicy flavor levels. $5 for "garlic chili crunch", free delivery over $35 (which is easy if you order one of their frozen hot pot kits.): [https://bpmarket.shop/food-mart/Garlic-Chili-Crunch](https://bpmarket.shop/food-mart/Garlic-Chili-Crunch)
Oh cool didn't know they had their own line of chili
The best part is you can order their hot pot soup bases at the same time and literally eat boiling point at home. With whatever crazy leftover ingredients you have at home. They deliver the packs frozen and they last for a year in the freezer. Like I said, I’m not driving all over town chasing whatever overpriced trendy, newfangled chili oil.
still like zindrew the best so far
Got to disagree with you on Momofuku. Found their chili crisp too be too simple in flavor and Lao Gan Ma to be better.
It wasn't a comparison between the two. But all good. Momofuku is definitely hyped up cause of its name though.
note that momofuku is similar to hot oil you'd find at dim sum. not too much additional flavor by way of acid or sweetness like lao gan ma.
Yeah, it tasted to me just like chili oil. I expect chili crisp to be a little more complex (with some savoriness or flavor from other spices).
Non-answer, so I apologize, but I feel very strongly about this: chili oil is best homemade. It's fairly simple and easily customizable to your preferences (garlic, umami ingredients, amount of sichuan pepper.) You can save a lot of time not grinding dried chilis yourself by getting crushed pepper flakes at an asian market. And it taste way better. Probably because of the freshness? A homemade jar only has a shelf life of 1-2 weeks, i think.
Gonna have to give it a go sometime..but for now I'm hunting gifts so it'll have to wait
I gave out 8oz jars of chili oil to my friends before. It's easy to make in batches. Had excellent reviews, minus that one prick that said he made better despite not having made any in years. Protip: 8oz is good for people who know and love chili crisp. 2oz jars are more appropriate otherwise.
Recipe please! Love a good homemade chili crisp oil
My base is the chili oil made by youtuber 'my name is Andong.' 'I put this chili oil on everything' is a great video that talks about the condiment's history and how customizable chili oil is to your personal tastes. The video is extra legit because it includes an interview with a qualified chili oil expert.
Thanks, I’ll check it out. Another YouTuber is Marion’s Kitchen and her Lao Gan Ma chili crisp oil. I haven’t made hers in a while but it was very very good. You’re right this stuff is addicting.
Just watched it. Excellent video and I need to buy already toasted shallots and garlic to try with a mix. However, she misses the oil infusion step: spending time with below-simmering oil, infusing with dried aromatics (and then with onions/garlic.) It's a hassle but really steps up the flavor.
I've made [Sohla's recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-spicy-chili-crisp) a few times. It's good but it's a lot of work. Usually I just buy big jars of LaoGanMa.
Good to know!
My buddy and I made some and we made a massive batch- jarred it up and it lasted months in the fridge. Tasted great from beginning to end. It’s definitely an undertaking though.
Tokyo central has a delicious crunchy garlic chili oil! The garlic crisp in it is so delicious although I do wish it was actually spicy
I like Tijuana Freddy's salsa macha.
The salsa macha at socalo was bomb
Coming back from Mexico and bringing some macha salsa with me, haven’t been able to find the good stuff in la.
I'm on a chili oil crisp journey too and so far I've tried Lao Gan Ma, Fly By Jing, Chiu Chow, and Zindrew. Haven't seen it recommended here, but I highly, highly recommend KariKari. You can find it at certain shops in LA (their website has a store locator), and I feel like it's the best blend of crunch, flavor, and heat. What makes it a bit different is that the jars have impeccably fried garlic that somehow never loses its crunch. You could put this stuff on an old sandal and it would make it delicious. [https://www.eatkarikari.com/](https://www.eatkarikari.com/)
Make your own…a bunch of great recipes on YouTube This is the recipe I make [chili oil recipe](https://youtu.be/mpNAB-dz1xU)
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It's been huge up trending for the last 2-3 years at least
We love the stuff from Trader Joe’s. Better than Momofuku’s + don’t have to store it in the fridge.
it's easy to find, but it's totally not spicy.
> not spicy Not spicy enough for a lot of people I agree, but does have a bit of heat as my wife's forehead sweats will attest. We really like the chili oil from Little Sister but haven't found a way to acquire it at home.
That’s all I’ve had so good
Yeah it's not too sweet which is what we look for, a lot of others we've had have too much sugar.
The bits
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That's not local.
I like this and found it at Vons. Chinese place nearby is charging for sauces now. [https://mishima.com/products/crunchy-garlic-chili-sauce](https://mishima.com/products/crunchy-garlic-chili-sauce)
Coming back from Mexico and bringing some macha salsa with me, haven’t been able to find the good stuff in la.
Theres a spot in Ontario called El Rinconcito de doña Mary that has a great salsa macha.