CHILI CRISP VIN, JING'S WAY
Chili Crisp Vinaigrette is here at last, and I'm so excited to share it with you. It was this recipe that I shared with Sam Sifton of The New York Times in 2020 that kind of changed everything for us. It's a compound sauce, bringing together our OG Sichuan Chili Crisp, 10-year aged black vinegar, and balanced with soy sauce, sesame oil, plus a hint of sweetness.
Now that it's out in the world, I'd like to show you three of my favorite ways to use Chili Crisp Vinaigrette: a mouthwatering cabbage dish, a refreshing chilled tofu, and my go-to liangfen jelly noodles.
— Jing
RECIPE: CHILI CRISP VINAIGRETTE CABBAGE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1lb (454g) cabbage, cut into bite sized wedges
1/2 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
2-3 dried chili pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 cup Chili Crisp Vinaigrette
1 tsp cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, add cornstarch to Chili Crisp Vinaigrette and set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking.
Add Sichuan pepper and dried chilis and stir fry quickly for 30 seconds to release their fragrance.
Add garlic and ginger, stir frying for another 30 seconds.
Add cabbage, stir frying for about 2-3 minutes until the leaves start to soften, then add the Chili Crisp Vinaigrette, continuing to stir until sauce has thickened, about a minute.
Remove from heat, transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.
RECIPE: CHILLED TOFU WITH AVOCADO
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 package of silken tofu
1/2 avocado
4 tbsp Chili Crisp Vinaigrette
4 pieces of shiso or perilla leaf, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
1 tsp fried shallots
INSTRUCTIONS:
Open the package of tofu and pour out any excess water. Place a few paper towels over the package and turn the tofu upside down onto it for a few minutes to ensure any water is all soaked up.
Then, remove the paper towel and gently slide the tofu onto a serving plate in one piece.
Remove the skin of half an avocado and cut into thin slices lengthwise, keeping one end intact.
Fan the avocado out with a knife and transfer to the top of the block of tofu.
Pour the Chili Crisp Vinaigrette over the tofu, top with minced ginger, sliced shiso leaf, sesame seeds and shallots.
RECIPE: LIANGFEN JELLY NOODLES
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (120g) mung bean starch
3 cups of water
4 tbsp Chili Crisp Vinaigrette
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp sliced fresh birds eye chili (optional)
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
Sliced scallions
Spicy roasted peanuts
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix mung bean starch with about a cup of water until the starch has dissolved and is completely free of clumps.
Bring the other two cups of water in a medium pot to boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Add the mung bean starch mixture slowly into the pot, whisking the whole time to ensure no clumps form.
Let it simmer for another few minutes, continuously stirring as the mixture becomes a thick almost paste-like texture.
Then, pour the mixture carefully into a 2 qt glass baking dish. Let cool at room temperature, it should fully solidify in about a couple hours.
When the mixture has cooled into a jelly, place a cutting board over the baking dish and flip it upside down onto the board. You may need to jiggle it to loosen it up a bit.
Once it’s on the board, you can cut it into bite size pieces. Typically they’re served as thick, rectangular-shaped noodles about 3 inches long and a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inches wide, but I’ve seen them thinner or thicker depending on what texture is preferred.
Place noodles in a serving bowl. Combine Chili Crisp Vinaigrette, minced garlic, roasted sesame oil and birds eye chili if using, in a bowl, mix well, and pour over jelly noodles. You can omit the birds eye chili for a slightly less hot version.
You can leave the noodles soaking in the sauce for a few hours ahead of time or even overnight in the refrigerator! The longer they sit in the sauce the tastier they will be. You can also add more chili oil for extra heat, Tribute Pepper Oil for more tingle, and garnish with scallions, and mala roasted peanuts.