How to make CHILI CRUNCH: Mild version | Perfect for Summer Dishes! (Momofuku Copycat!) Chili Crisp

How to Make a Milder Version of Chili Crunch

Today, I’m excited to show you how to make a milder version of chili crunch using accessible ingredients. This recipe makes a small amount, perfect for adding a flavorful kick to your meals without overwhelming heat.

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables

First, slice a long green onion. You can substitute an onion, leek, or shallot if you prefer.

As you can imagine, alliums—long green onions, leeks, onions (red, yellow, white, or whatever), scallions, and shallots—are interchangeable, so don’t worry too much about the ingredients here.

Alliums play a role in adding sweetness and umami to the final product.

Next, add sliced garlic. I’m using spring garlic that I sliced and froze earlier, which has a beautiful aroma. The thinner the slices, the better, as they will crisp up quickly during cooking.

Step 2: Cook the Vegetables

Add the sliced long onion and garlic to a pan with neutral vegetable oil. Start cooking on low heat. It’s important to cook slowly to evaporate all the moisture from the onion and garlic. If you start with higher heat, the outside will burn before the inside is cooked.

Your goal is to remove all the moisture and crisp up the onion and garlic. This process took about 10 minutes for me. Once done, turn off the heat and use a strainer to transfer the crispy bits onto a paper towel to drain and set aside.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a heat-proof container, mix the dry ingredients. I used:

• One part shichimi chili pepper, a Japanese blend containing seven spices.
• One part paprika powder, which adds a nice peppery aroma without the heat.
• I also add shiitake powder instead of MSG to boost umami. If you don’t have shiitake powder, you can add chicken bouillon powder instead or simply skip it.

Step 4: Heat the Oil

Heat the oil until it’s really hot. Pour the hot oil over the dry ingredients. This step activates all the flavors, making the chili crunch incredibly delicious.

Heat until lightly smoking, about 180°C (356°F).

Step 5: Final Mix

This is the highlight of making chili crunch!
It’s like hell! Lol

Give them a nice stir until it becomes an even mixture.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add sesame oil, the fried garlic, and the long green onion crisps.

And there you have it: your mild chili crunch is ready to use!

Serving Suggestions

I love to pour it over tofu, soft scrambled eggs on top of rice, mix it with somen noodles, or use it as a dipping sauce for fried dumplings. Play around with it to enjoy your daily meals with this delicious mild chili crunch!