How come none of you told me about LAOGANMA 老干妈 Chili Sauce?

I personally blame the YouTube algorithm for this. Because if it hadn’t dumped this video in my feed, I wouldn’t have known about this product.

Let me explain.

Apparently there’s a chili sauce condiment that has suddenly become the new “IT” food. It’s manufactured by a Chinese company called LAOGANMA, and it’s not a super-hot-fire-Carolina-Reaper chili sauce, it’s more of a flavorful aromatic that enhances the food.

And their big product – the one everybody wants – is called LANGAOMA Chili Crisp. The sauce contains chunky, crispy bits of chili skins and other ingredients, and is allegedly super-delicious when served on rice or on meats.

Plus … how can you go wrong when your advertising logo looks like that relative who judges you for not marrying that nice young doctor?

All right. I need to find this stuff. If this is supposedly the next big tasty food enhancer, I gotta give it a try.

Off to the Asian Supermarket I go.

And sure enough, tucked in along a rack of spices and condiments … was this.

Now they didn’t have anything listed as “chili crisp,” but they did have this. So I’m going to try this, and if I like it, I’ll find a way to get LAOGANMA Chili Crisp online or through a special order. I mean, one bottle of fried chili in oil’s only going to set me back $4, I think I can take my chances on this.

I had a pack of microwaveable Minute Rice in the house – because, yeah, of course I did – and the plan was for one serving of Minute Rice with a scoop or two of LAOGANMA Chili Sauce.

And …

Ooh, this is good. It’s not flames-out-your-mouth-and-ears-and-nose spicy, it’s just flavorful and complex. All over a bowl of simple rice.

This has potential.

I need to find more recipes for this stuff. Simple recipes that would fit within my wheelhouse.

And after a trip to the OTHER Asian supermarket in Albany – the one on Colvin Avenue – I got my mitts on the official LAOGANMA Chili Crisp.

Because if this “fried chili in oil” is tasty …

Imagine what the next flavor level could take me.

FTC NOTE: At no time did I request or receive any compensation or remuneration from LAOGANMA USA to review or demonstrate any of their products. All products were purchased by me in a store and my opinions on the product’s taste are my own. LAOGANMA USA has a website, which is here.