Lao Gan Ma Laoganma Crispy Chilli in Oil 210 g (Pack of 1)

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This is probably the most popular Lao Gan Ma product outside of China. It combines chilies and fermented soybeans with garlic and onions. The sauce does have an irresistibly “crisp” texture.

Lao Gan Ma, (老干妈) or “old godmother” is a brand of chili sauce. In 1997, founder Tao Huabi ( 陶华碧 ) started her business in Guizhou, China. She’s the very same lady pictured on the label! Yes, many Lao Gan Ma products have emerged over the years, but there are three main types that are most popular from our perspective. Everyone has their favorite!

Soybean Oil, Fermented Flour Paste (Wheat Flour, Water, Salt), Broad Bean Sauce (Broad Bean, Saly, Water), Chilli, Flavour Enhancer:(E621) In China, chilli crisp goes with everything. Unlike ketchup, that list can even include ice-cream. The brand is also ubiquitous, spawning Lao Gan Ma phone cases, clothing, pencil cases and the joke, according to state-owned financial news organisation Yicai China, that when a man gets married, it is to two women: his fiancee and Tao Huabi. Ingredients List: Soybean Oil (40%), Chili Pepper (35%), Onions (8%), Fermented Soybeans (Soybeans, Water), Salt, Sugar, Sichuan Red Peppercorns, Flavor Enhancer (E621). Tao Huabi, founder of Lao Gan Ma Special Flavour Foodstuffs Company and China’s ‘hottest woman’. Photograph: Imaginechina Limited/Alamy ‘Red kingdom’ It’s rare that we include a particular brand of sauce in our Ingredients Glossary, as we usually write articles about a general ingredient and then suggest brands to try within that category. However, we’re making an exception for Lao Gan Ma chili sauces, because we always have them in our pantry and feature them in several of our recipes! What Is Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce?

There is a saying about the south-western Chinese province of Guizhou: “Not three feet of flat land, not three days without rain, not a family with three silver coins.” But, with the help of a spicy condiment, Tao Huabi, also known as China’s “hottest woman”, has well and truly defied this rule.The next part involves pouring very hot oil – so take care. Put the rest of your ingredients in a large heatproof container (metal or borosilicate glass are best). As you gradually pour the hot oil over them, the mixture will bubble up and instantly infuse, searing the spices as it does so to ensure a crispier sediment. This flash-infusion gets as much flavour out of the aromatics as possible. One of the brand’s most unique varieties, this has chili, peanut, fried beancurd, and preserved root vegetable (the label says it’s rutabaga), to create a uniquely crunchy texture and rich flavor. Workers sorting chilli peppers at a cooperative in China’s southwest Guizhou province. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images We’ve also developed several recipes that use it (scroll down to the bottom of this post for links).

To be honest....I haven't tried the product yet. I bought it for a recipe I might try in the near future. Ingredients: Soybean Oil (40%), Chili Pepper (35%), Onions (8%), Fermented S oybeans ( S oybeans, Water), Salt, Sugar, Sichuan Red Peppercorns, Flavor Enhancer (E621). Finally, you want to season your oil to help bring out all those infused flavours. A decent amount of salt and some sugar will dissolve nicely into the oil and ensure it’s at its best.

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This Catalan “pesto” (a ground mix of toasted almonds, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and freestyle herbs) is, says Shumana Palit, a co-owner of the Ultracomida delis in Wales, terrific for adding depth to sauces, soups and stews. “A spoonful makes everything come to life,” she says. Epicurious has a good recipe. Refrigerate these sauces after opening and always use a clean utensil when handling. We find it can last in the fridge for up to 6 months. Honestly, though, it never really lasts that long. Our Favorite Recipes That Use This Ingredient In Romania, this simple garlic dressing – five cloves crushed with one teaspoon of salt in 100ml of water – is, says Irina Georgescu, the author of Carpathia, “drizzled on polenta, roasted vegetables, fried fish or added to meatballs. It can fix everything.” Romanian garlic is milder and sweeter. Roast pungent UK garlic for a similar flavour, but include one raw clove for “personality”, says Georgescu.Next up are your fresh aromatics, of which garlic and shallots are the most important. These provide the majority of the ‘crisp’ along with the chilli flakes and ground spices. Beyond that there’s fresh ginger and – if you like – fresh chillies. These aren’t essential but will add a slightly brighter note to the final flavour. They – and any other fresh ingredients you’re adding apart from the garlic and onion – are both best used as larger pieces to infuse the oil before being discarded. Throwing everything into a pan with the oil and heating it is the classic infusion method, but isn’t the best in this case – by the time your onions and garlic are crisp, the other aromatics will have burnt. A two-step approach works far better, separating fresh ingredients from dried. Begin with a pan of cold oil and add your garlic and shallots (plus anything else fresh). Gradually bring it up to temperature, keeping a close eye on it and using a slotted spoon to whip out the solids as soon as they turn golden. You’ve now got a lovely infused oil, plus a heap of fried, crunchy bits ready to bolster your crispy sediment. In all the subgenres of food, none can hold a light to the cult status various condiments command. Like mayonnaise? You probably fall into the Hellmann’s or kewpie camp, eschewing any other mayo as inferior; a pale imitation of the one true emulsified egg, vinegar and oil king. Hot sauce is a whole other battleground – Tabasco, Sriracha, Cholula, Frank’s – each has their own army of devout followers ready to wax lyrical and sing praises on their beloved sauce. Ketchup – well, it’s got to be Heinz, hasn’t it? Miranda Brown, professor of Chinese studies at the University of Michigan, who is writing a book on the history of Chinese food, says that in China, Lao Gan Ma’s popularity is partly due to Tao’s authenticity. Chinese consumers tend to want foods that perfectly encapsulate regional cuisines and use ingredients grown from the soil of those regions. Tao’s look and godmotherliness, she suspects, also satisfy a nostalgia for socialist China and a “simpler time”. She was born into a poor family in a remote mountain village and did not fully learn to read or write. Widowed a few years after marrying her husband and having two kids, she opened a noodle shop to support her family.