The Mala Market’s kit for chile crisp makes enough of the fiery condiment to give your friends and family.
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Even if you’ve already filled your gift tins with cookies from your oven, you might tack in a savory direction with homemade chile crisp for friends who cook, or for yourself. The Mala Market, a fine source for Chinese ingredients based in Nashville, Tenn., has assembled a kit including harder-to-find components like da hong pao Sichuan pepper, whole spices including cassia bark and a roasted oil called caiziyou. You supply the everyday items like shallots, onions, sesame seeds and fresh ginger for the precise seven-step recipe that will take a good two hours to prepare, and time to cool. The result will be a 17-ounce jar (provided) of chile crisp, plus enough material for another batch suitable for decanting into smaller six or eight-ounce containers for gift-giving. Chile oil without the crunch can also be made.
D.I.Y. Mala Chili Crisp and Chili Oil Kit, $69 plus shipping, themalamarket.com.
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