As someone who has never been able to tolerate spice, I knew this mild chili crisp from Fly By Jing would be worthy of a Taste of Home Award after the first bite. It’s truly as mild as promised, but still adds so much flavor to my recipes.
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I’ve always been intolerant to spice. My roommates in college were fantastic cooks, and they’d always have to make a separate “Rosie dish” of whatever they were cooking. I got my own white bean chicken chili sans jalapenos. On pasta nights, they enjoyed red pepper-laden penne all’arrabbiata while I had buttered noodles. I never minded my heatless meals until everyone started talking about chili crisp. It looked so good, but I could already hear my friends in the back of my mind saying, “Don’t feed this to Rosie; she’ll pass out.”
And then Fly By Jing dropped a mild chili crisp. It was like the brand’s marketing team was in my kitchen listening to me complain about how I wanted chili crisp for its texture, but couldn’t handle the heat.
I was suspicious of a condiment made with fried chili peppers promising to be mild, but my curiosity was stronger than my suspicion. In true taste-test style, I took my first bite right out of the jar. It was crunchy and oily and actually mild. I knew I would give it a Taste of Home Award after that first bite, but I did eat it every day for the next week just to be sure.
Fly by Jing Mild Sichuan Chili Crisp
I Can Finally Get in on the Chili Crisp Trend
Now, just because I can’t handle heat doesn’t mean I don’t like flavor. I’m up for trying all types of foods. When I was 3, I confidently asked our server for “tentacles” (aka grilled octopus) at a local Greek spot. In high school, I tried czernina (duck blood soup) at my grandpa’s favorite Polish restaurant. Recently, ube has been popping up everywhere so of course I’ve tried it in lattes and iced coffees. But put a kimchi stew or Sichuan chicken in front of me, and I’ll start sweating at the scent of the fiery heat.
Enter: Fly By Jing’s Mild Crunchy Garlic Sichuan Chili Crisp. It’s a mouthful of vocab and warm, roasted garlic goodness.
The scent felt safe as soon as I opened the jar. Notes of sesame, garlic and shallot were the most prevalent, which is different from a classic chili crisp where the sharp scent of peppers is more noticeable.
The texture was really why I wanted to try this condiment, though, and it did not disappoint. I don’t know how something soaking in oils can stay so crunchy, but I’ll chalk that up to food science working its magic. As for flavor, it’s very allium-forward with a pleasant warmth rather than any real heat. I could probably eat the whole jar and still not need a glass of milk. I won’t be testing that theory, but take my word for it.
Catch Me Putting Mild Chili Crisp on…Everything
Once I verified that the chili crisp was safe for my wimpy taste buds, I made Lucy Wang’s elevated avocado toast. In a word: wow. Avocado and eggs are so mild that they always need a little something to spruce them up. Usually, I sprinkle salt, pepper and smoked paprika over the dish. But I’ve been skipping that for a tablespoon of mild chili crisp. I ate the chili crisp avocado toast for breakfast every day until I ran out. Then I bought another jar.
I knew I needed to branch out and try this crunchy condiment in other recipes, so I made smashed chili crisp cucumber salad as a side dish for dinner. The crunch of the roasted garlic and (heat-stripped) chili pepper against the smashed bits of bright cucumber was incredible. It was a great way to make one of my fruit servings for the day a little more interesting.
Fly By Jing also makes mild Sichuan garlic noodles and I’ve spooned a bit of chili crisp over the top of the noodles for a quick lunch. I plan on making chili crisp biscuits next. I’ve never been able to get through a jalapeno cheddar biscuit, so this mild garlicky chili crisp can be my foray into savory breads.
One important note about this condiment: Do not eat it with a white shirt on. The oily orange base of the chili crisp tends to get all over if you’re not careful, and it will stain. I did (accidentally) test this theory, so you can take my word for it.
Where to Find Fly By Jing’s Mild Chili Crisp
At first, I found Fly By Jing’s mild chili crisp on an end cap at my local Whole Foods. Now, it’s in the aisle near other Asian pantry staples like soy sauce, mirin, dried noodles and nori. The mild version is currently sold at Whole Foods and on the Fly By Jing website. On shelves, it’s right next to the original and extra spicy versions, so read the labels before grabbing one!
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