What is Lao Gan Ma? 5 Amazing Recipes to Enjoy Chili Crisp!

Welcome to Suit of Recipes. When you shop in Asian markets, have you seen these red jars of spicy chili crisp? It is called Lao Gan Ma as one of the most popular Chinese condiments. I bet some of you already know about it and loved it. Today, I want to show you five amazing recipes that actually use Lao Gan Ma as a key ingredient instead of simply topping it onto white rice or noodles like most people do. For those of you who don't have access to buy Lao Gan Ma, I do have a demo video, you can check it out right here. Alright, please hit the like button, and let's start the first recipe. General Tso's chicken, which is known for its complex, tangy, sweet, and spicy flavors. Lao Gan Ma is perfect at replacing the chilies, adding a beautiful fragrance, and introducing a nutty taste. You will need 350 grams of boneless chicken thigh. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. You can also use chicken breast if you prefer. Marinate the chicken with a quarter teaspoon of ground black pepper, a quarter teaspoon of salt, half tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, and one egg yolk. Don't waste the egg white. We're gonna save it for our second recipe today. Okay, mix this thoroughly and set it aside. Combine a third cup of cornstarch and a third cup of flour in a bowl. Stir thoroughly. Use half of the flour mixture to cover the bottom of a container. Then add the marinated chicken and spread it out. Cover the chicken with the other half of the flour mixture. Put on the lid and shake thoroughly. Once done, I like to let the chicken sit in the flour for about 5 minutes so it can adhere more flour and starch to create a thicker coating. I find that using a strainer or a sieve is perfect to remove the excess flour. Just shake a few times and it is done. Isn't that so much faster than doing it by hand? Set the chicken aside for now. Alright, heat 1.5 cups of oil in a wok to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the chicken one by one and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Make sure you stir constantly to ensure even cooking. Take the chicken out and let it sit for 10 minutes. The rest of the heat will continue to cook the chicken through. Use a fine sieve to fish out the crumbs from the oil. Otherwise, they will burn during the second frying and ruin the taste of the dish. Increase the oil's temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and fry it over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Remove everything from the oil and set the chicken aside. Pour the oil out of the wok. You can reuse the frying oil for a few more times if you want. To make the General Tso's sauce, you will need 2.5 tbsp of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp. Add 2 tsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of minced ginger. Saute it over low heat until fragrant. Add 3.5 tbsp of sugar, 1.5 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar, and 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir for a minute. Quickly mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water until no lumps and pour it into the wok. Stir until the sauce thickens. Please be patient here to evaporate as much moisture as possible because if the sauce is too thin, it will soften the crust when mixed with the chicken. Add the fried chicken and toss until every piece is coated nicely. Sprinkle 3 tbsp of diced cilantro and half tbsp of toasted sesame seeds. Give a final toss and you are done. General Tso's chicken was actually created in America, so it is not an authentic Chinese dish. Personally, I think the use of Lao Gan Ma impacts an unique character, making an American Chinese takeout dish into something truly special. The second recipe, Mongolian Beef, is another perfect example of how Lao Gan Ma elevates American Chinese takeout dishes with its bold spices and rich aroma. Cut the beef into a quarter of an inch thick slices. I am using top round today. Other cuts such as flank steak, rib eye, sirloin, and chuck will also work. Marinate the beef with a quarter teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, half teaspoon of dark soy sauce, one and a half tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine. If you don't have Chinese cooking wine, use dry sherry. Continue by adding 2.5 tbsp of cornstarch and the egg white that we reserved from the previous General Tso's chicken recipe. Nothing goes to waste. Mix everything for a few minutes. Some of you may wonder, why do I use the egg yolk to marinate the chicken but reserve the egg white for the Mongolian beef? Egg white is one of the few foods that is naturally alkaline, which helps raising the pH level of the meat, breaking down tough fibers, and tenderizing the beef. Egg yolk, on the other hand, has a lower pH and doesn't have the same tenderizing effect. But it is an excellent binding agent, helping the coating adhere evenly to the chicken. Egg yolk is also richer in fat. Making the breading crispier after deep frying, that is exactly what you need for the General Tso's Chicken. I know I'm talking a lot, but it is always good to know the why's behind the how's. Alright, let's set the beef aside and we are going to make the sauce. You will need 1.5 tsp of cornstarch, 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2.5 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 tsp Picking up oyster sauce. Half teaspoon of dark soy sauce and a quarter cup of water. Stir well and set the sauce aside. We're gonna reuse the frying oil that's left from the General Tso's chicken. Heat it to 380 degrees Fahrenheit and add the beef one by one. The heat is high so the frying time just needs a couple of minutes. You may need to fry everything in two batches. Once done, remove the beef to the side. Pour all the oil from the wok. Add half tbsp of oil from the Lao Gan Ma jar, 1 tbsp of minced garlic and 1.5 tsp of minced ginger. Here are 5 scallions that I cut into stalks. Add the white part first and reserve the green part on the side for now. Saute everything until fragrant. Pour in the Mongolian sauce and stir for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Introduce the beef back to the wok along with the green part of the scallions. Keep mixing until the meat is coated with that glossy and savory sauce. Before serving, add 1.5 tbsp of Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for some nutty taste. The sauce is super flavorful, so this dish is best to serve with white rice or other plain foundations. Lao Gan Ma is such a magical ingredient because it just instantly makes everything taste better. If you love Mongolian beef already, you should try this upgraded version. Before we move on to the next recipe, I want to share some great news with you. My cookbook is finally available for sale. You can click the link in the description and grab your copy. I carefully selected 168 recipes featuring popular takeout dishes, various regional specialties, easy family meals, and classic traditional delicacies. Every recipe comes with lots of step-by-step photos, clear instructions, and a QR code linked to a demo video. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned chef, you'll be able to cook better than takeout and savor the local meals like a native Chinese. Alright, let's get back to the Lao Gan Ma is so versatile as it makes boring vegetables enjoyable. Therefore, the fourth recipe, I'm going to show you how to incorporate it into green bean stir-fry. Once you try it, not only you're gonna love it, but also you're gonna want to swap in other vegetables. It is that delicious. Let's start by prepping the green beans. I like to snap the tip, then pull to remove the fiber. This step is time-consuming, but if you don't do it, your green beans will end up chewy and stringy. Alright, rinse the green beans well and drain thoroughly. Turn the heat to low, add 1.5 tbsp of oil and the green beans or other veggies because this recipe also works with asparagus, yard beans and snap beans. You want to add the salt early so that the sodium can slowly infuse into the green beans as you cook. Saute them patiently over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. You must give them enough time to cook through. Otherwise, the green beans will taste like freshly mowed grass. You can put on the lid once every 30 seconds to help to cook everything through. I personally love tender but slightly roasted green beans. Just like that. Push the green beans to the side. I see that the wok is a little bit dry. So, I'm going to drizzle in one more teaspoon of vegetable oil so that you can sauté two tablespoons of finely minced garlic. Continue to stir until fragrant, and you're almost done. Before serving, top with two tablespoons of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp. Just a note, every time you use Lao Gan Ma, you should give it a good stir because this is an oil-based sauce. All the salt crystals won't dissolve and will sink to the bottom if you let it sit for a while. That's it. Such an easy but delicious side dish. Mmm, the green beans are so tender. The Lao Gan Ma adds a nice distinctive fragrance and multiple layers of taste, making the green beans extra flavorful. Me, alone, I can eat the entire plate and still crave for more. Lao Gan Ma also works wonderfully if imparted into salad. In the fourth recipe, I'll show you how to use it to make a refreshing cucumber salad. Smack the cucumbers until they split along the length, creating bruises that help them absorb flavors. You can use a rolling pin or a tenderizer to do this, but in Chinese cuisine, one cleaver rules everything. The wide blade and heavy-duty weight makes it perfect for this job. I'll link this cleaver in the description, you can check it out if you want. Cut the cucumbers diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Season them with ¾ teaspoon of salt, toss thoroughly, and set it aside for 15 minutes. During this time, you can grate 3 cloves of garlic finely. I love using this ceramic grater because it doesn't hurt you even if you rub your fingers on it. Continue by adding ¼ cup of diced cilantro and 1 tbsp of diced Thai bird eye chilies, or depending on your spice tolerance, ½ teaspoon of sugar. Half tablespoon of soy sauce and half tablespoon of vinegar. For authenticity, I recommend using Chinese black vinegar, also known as Zhenjiang vinegar. But if you don't have access, apple cider vinegar is a perfect replacement, because I found that a little bit of the fruity taste goes really well with the fresh cucumber. By now, the salt should have drawn out some moisture from the cucumber. Squeeze and discard the liquid, otherwise, it will dilute the seasonings. Just a note, I only let the cucumber sit for 15 minutes. The longer it sits, the saltier it will taste, because the sodium will infuse deeper. Toss the cucumber with the dressing thoroughly. Before serving, top the salad with 1-2 tbsp of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, depending on your taste. Some of you may ask, why don't we mix the Lao Gan Ma into the dressing? Well, if you mixed it, the cucumber juice will blend Lao Gan Ma's unique flavor into a flat taste. By topping the salad with the chili crisp, you get layers of flavors. Some bites are light and refreshing, while others are spicy and savory. Isn't that so much more enjoyable? When you finish a jar of Lao Gan Ma, you'll notice there's plenty of oil left and wonder what to do. Don't throw it because this flavorful oil is perfect for making spicy and numbing hot pot. Cut 8 dried red chilies into half inch long pieces. Then use a strainer to shake off the seeds. Soak the dried red chilies and 1.5 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns in hot water for 3 to 5 minutes. If you don't soak them, they'll burn easily while stirring in the oil. A little bit of moisture will give them enough time to transfer the flavors to the oil without scorching. Drain thoroughly and add them to a pot along with 4 scallions, which I cut into stalks, 1 shallot, quartered, 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly, 1 inch of ginger, also sliced thinly, and a quarter cup of the oil from the almost finished jar of Lao Gan Ma. Stir over low heat for 3-5 minutes or until most of the moisture is evaporated. Add 3 tbsp of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp in addition, 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tbsp of oyster sauce. Mix thoroughly. Pour in 5 to 6 cups of chicken stock. You can also use water if you want. Bring this to a boil. As for the hot pot items, I am using some mixed meatballs, which you can buy from almost any Asian market. Just look into the freezer sections. Thinly sliced beef is a popular hot pot ingredient in Chinese cuisine, but it can be pricey at Asian markets. To save money, I use packaged shaved beef from Publix. It's fresh, affordable, and just as delicious. The only downside is that it is sliced very thin, so you will need to hold it with your chopsticks while cooking, otherwise it will get lost in the pot. Besides that, I also prepared some snow white mushrooms, lotus root slices, baby bok choy, some squid, and believe it or not, corn is also popular to put into a hot pot. To make a hot pot dipping sauce, add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of diced scallions, 1.5 tbsp of diced cilantro, 1.5 tbsp of chili flakes, and 1.5 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil to smoking hot and pour it over. Add 2-3 tbsp of soy sauce and mix well. This is a quick hot pot demo, and it is only for two people, so I didn't prepare much. But hot pot is versatile, you can use whatever you have in your fridge, such as chicken, pork slices, fish, shrimp, daikon cabbage, lettuce, and tofu. Besides using leftover Lao Gan Ma oil to make hot pot, you can also cook stir-fried vegetables or make pan-fried dumplings. Alright, that is all the recipes for today. But honestly, Lao Gan Ma is so versatile. You can use it to make stir-fried noodles, fried rice, braised beef, wonton soup, etc. If you want to see more Lao Gan Ma recipes, let me know in the comment. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe links are in the description. Go check them out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and authentic Chinese food. Thank you for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye!