Lao Gan Ma Laoganma Crispy Chilli in Oil 210 g (Pack of 1)

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Ingredients List: Soybean Oil (40%), Chili Pepper (35%), Onions (8%), Fermented Soybeans (Soybeans, Water), Salt, Sugar, Sichuan Red Peppercorns, Flavor Enhancer (E621). She was born into a poor family in a remote mountain village and did not fully learn to read or write. Widowed a few years after marrying her husband and having two kids, she opened a noodle shop to support her family.

The next part involves pouring very hot oil – so take care. Put the rest of your ingredients in a large heatproof container (metal or borosilicate glass are best). As you gradually pour the hot oil over them, the mixture will bubble up and instantly infuse, searing the spices as it does so to ensure a crispier sediment. This flash-infusion gets as much flavour out of the aromatics as possible. Lao Gan Ma sauces are also very popular outside of China, with many of our food-loving friends here in the U.S. very well-aware of these tasty condiments. Are there different types? Yes, many Lao Gan Ma products have emerged over the years, but there are three main types that are most popular from our perspective. Everyone has their favorite! Lao Gan Ma, (老干妈) or “old godmother” is a brand of chili sauce. In 1997, founder Tao Huabi ( 陶华碧 ) started her business in Guizhou, China. She’s the very same lady pictured on the label! This is probably the most popular Lao Gan Ma product outside of China. It combines chilies and fermented soybeans with garlic and onions. The sauce does have an irresistibly “crisp” texture.Workers sorting chilli peppers at a cooperative in China’s southwest Guizhou province. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Ingredients: Soybean Oil (40%), Chili Pepper (35%), Onions (8%), Fermented S oybeans ( S oybeans, Water), Salt, Sugar, Sichuan Red Peppercorns, Flavor Enhancer (E621). As for the godmother herself, an article in Yicai Global depicts her as the Queen of a “red kingdom” of chilli fields and a factory where, it claims, she sleeps in a bedroom that leads on to her office. Miranda Brown, professor of Chinese studies at the University of Michigan, who is writing a book on the history of Chinese food, says that in China, Lao Gan Ma’s popularity is partly due to Tao’s authenticity. Chinese consumers tend to want foods that perfectly encapsulate regional cuisines and use ingredients grown from the soil of those regions. Tao’s look and godmotherliness, she suspects, also satisfy a nostalgia for socialist China and a “simpler time”.

Next up are your fresh aromatics, of which garlic and shallots are the most important. These provide the majority of the ‘crisp’ along with the chilli flakes and ground spices. Beyond that there’s fresh ginger and – if you like – fresh chillies. These aren’t essential but will add a slightly brighter note to the final flavour. They – and any other fresh ingredients you’re adding apart from the garlic and onion – are both best used as larger pieces to infuse the oil before being discarded.In all the subgenres of food, none can hold a light to the cult status various condiments command. Like mayonnaise? You probably fall into the Hellmann’s or kewpie camp, eschewing any other mayo as inferior; a pale imitation of the one true emulsified egg, vinegar and oil king. Hot sauce is a whole other battleground – Tabasco, Sriracha, Cholula, Frank’s – each has their own army of devout followers ready to wax lyrical and sing praises on their beloved sauce. Ketchup – well, it’s got to be Heinz, hasn’t it? We’ve also developed several recipes that use it (scroll down to the bottom of this post for links). She soon became well-known for the special chili sauce she served with her noodles, set up her own sauce factory, and became a self-made billionaire with an international sauce empire !