Tasting all of Lao Gan Ma's Chili Condiments So You Don't

"If you're lucky enough to have an Asian grocery store in your backyard - whether a local shop or a chain like 99 Ranch or H-Mart - consider stocking up on condiments from Lao Gan Ma. Lao Gan Ma is the original chile crisp before chile crisp became a front-and-center ingredient of mainstream chefs and publications like David Chang and Bon Appetit. There are even premium, small-batch brands like Yun Hai and Fly By Jing available online if you can't make it to the market."

"When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do with my grandmother was to visit the local Asian grocery store. While she shopped, we'd trot past aisles and aisles of colorful labels we couldn't read, vacuum-sealed bags full of mysterious fungi or cartons adorned with neon, bug-eyed characters. Fast-forward 20 years, trips to the Asian grocery store are key to keeping my pantry well-stocked with things like dark soy sauce, rock sugar, hot pot fixings, hard-to-get vegetables, and frozen dumplings."

Childhood trips to an Asian grocery with a grandmother created lasting affection for exotic labels, vacuum-sealed fungi, and neon-adorned cartons. Contemporary visits keep a pantry stocked with dark soy sauce, rock sugar, hot pot ingredients, specialty vegetables, and frozen dumplings. Lao Gan Ma is recommended as an essential condiment; it originated in Guizhou and was developed by Tao Huabi. Huabi began by running a noodle shop after her husband's death, then opened a factory when patrons preferred her chile condiment. Lao Gan Ma grew into a multibillion-dollar brand. Small-batch chile crisps and homemade chile oils also compete in home kitchens.

Read at Medium