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The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing's Kitchen [A Cookbook]
Explore the “not traditional but personal” Sichuan flavors of Fly By Jing’s cult favorite spicy and savory chili crisp through 85 hot recipes for everything from dumplings to cocktails to desserts.
“A coming-of-age story, a superb collection of recipes and food tales, and for me a very personal testament to the power of persistent entrepreneurial action . . . This book will change your life.”—Andrew Zimmern
Born in Chengdu and raised everywhere, chef and entrepreneur Jing Gao has introduced America to the hot, tingly sensation of chili crisp and the Sichuan flavors that inspire it, first through her wildly successful Kickstarter campaign and currently through thousands of grocery stores across the United States. Now, in The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp , Jing shows how nearly every dish can be elevated with Sichuan’s complex flavors, taking you on a unique journey from her hometown to your own kitchen stove, all while sharing her personal story and reflections on this storied cuisine and the challenges she's encountered along the way.
Rooted in tradition but adapted for the modern kitchen, these 85 recipes invite you to explore the nuances of Sichuan flavors and experiment with new ingredients. With gorgeous photography and punchy writing, Jing shows you how to incorporate these flavors in just about everything,
• snacks like Zhong Dumplings and Deviled Tea Eggs
• mains like Hongshao Carnitas Tacos , Fish Fragrant Crispy Eggplant , and Spicy Scallion Oil Noodles
• desserts and drinks like Chili Crisp Sundae with Fish Sauce Caramel Brittle , Poached Pear in Sichuan Pepper Syrup , and Baijiu Negroni
The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp is an ode to chili crisp and a story of resilience, breaking free from tradition, and writing new narratives. Grab yourself a jar of Sichuan Chili Crisp and dive in!
“A coming-of-age story, a superb collection of recipes and food tales, and for me a very personal testament to the power of persistent entrepreneurial action . . . This book will change your life.”—Andrew Zimmern
Born in Chengdu and raised everywhere, chef and entrepreneur Jing Gao has introduced America to the hot, tingly sensation of chili crisp and the Sichuan flavors that inspire it, first through her wildly successful Kickstarter campaign and currently through thousands of grocery stores across the United States. Now, in The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp , Jing shows how nearly every dish can be elevated with Sichuan’s complex flavors, taking you on a unique journey from her hometown to your own kitchen stove, all while sharing her personal story and reflections on this storied cuisine and the challenges she's encountered along the way.
Rooted in tradition but adapted for the modern kitchen, these 85 recipes invite you to explore the nuances of Sichuan flavors and experiment with new ingredients. With gorgeous photography and punchy writing, Jing shows you how to incorporate these flavors in just about everything,
• snacks like Zhong Dumplings and Deviled Tea Eggs
• mains like Hongshao Carnitas Tacos , Fish Fragrant Crispy Eggplant , and Spicy Scallion Oil Noodles
• desserts and drinks like Chili Crisp Sundae with Fish Sauce Caramel Brittle , Poached Pear in Sichuan Pepper Syrup , and Baijiu Negroni
The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp is an ode to chili crisp and a story of resilience, breaking free from tradition, and writing new narratives. Grab yourself a jar of Sichuan Chili Crisp and dive in!
256 pages, Hardcover
Published September 26, 2023
66 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 24, 2024
If you appreciate spicy Asian dishes, chili crisp or unique flavor combinations then this fiery cookbook will be right up your alley. Recipes are well written but tend to be geared towards cooks with some experience. The book is chock full of artfully composed color photos of the finished dishes and food-based still lifes.
The most surprising recipe was one for fish sauce caramel brittle, for use in a chili crisp sundae! Not that I would ever make that since I find fish sauce disgusting, but still, that is a bold and novel application of this popular (and revolting) ingredient and what makes for interesting cookbooks.
Some ingredients used may be difficult to source but can be purchased via the author's website. While I usually frown upon authors using cookbooks to sell their own products, in this case the author includes the recipes to make these products yourself along with substitutions for ingredients that are more readily available, so no frowning here.
Amongst the recipes are a few short essays on Sichuan food and ingredients. She also shares the story of starting her company (several times!) and how she succeeded. Most poignant essay was the one on how Chinese food is misunderstood and often thought of as a cheap food in the US. She explains it likely has to do with a theory on the hierarchy of taste and a loophole in the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act that allowed merchants to operate restaurants, resulting in lots of Chinese immigrants opening restaurants and exploiting the workers to keep prices low. But the good news is this misconception has been changing, as evidenced by the success of her company.
The most surprising recipe was one for fish sauce caramel brittle, for use in a chili crisp sundae! Not that I would ever make that since I find fish sauce disgusting, but still, that is a bold and novel application of this popular (and revolting) ingredient and what makes for interesting cookbooks.
Some ingredients used may be difficult to source but can be purchased via the author's website. While I usually frown upon authors using cookbooks to sell their own products, in this case the author includes the recipes to make these products yourself along with substitutions for ingredients that are more readily available, so no frowning here.
Amongst the recipes are a few short essays on Sichuan food and ingredients. She also shares the story of starting her company (several times!) and how she succeeded. Most poignant essay was the one on how Chinese food is misunderstood and often thought of as a cheap food in the US. She explains it likely has to do with a theory on the hierarchy of taste and a loophole in the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act that allowed merchants to operate restaurants, resulting in lots of Chinese immigrants opening restaurants and exploiting the workers to keep prices low. But the good news is this misconception has been changing, as evidenced by the success of her company.
November 20, 2025
been reading cookbooks lately bc otherwise they just sit around and adorn my bookshelves. kind of a vibe?
January 22, 2024
So good I bought my own copy.
March 29, 2024
I love fly by jing! yummm 👩🍳🇨🇳🌶️🥵🔥
January 29, 2025
must get myself to chengdu someday
January 2, 2024
Gorgeous food stying and photography. Punchy af flavours. Favourite snacks: tofu and avocado salad, deviled tea eggs, mala spiced lotus chips, cucumber and tuna salad. I made the mapo tofu which was funky and delicious. I’m not convinced that chili crisp lends itself to desserts and am not brave enough to venture there but the cocktail recipes are stellar.
December 25, 2023
Absolutely love the unique photography on this one. And a good read to boot with lots of scrumptious recipes, most of which I’ll never make. But I will look for her Fly by Jing condiments.
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February 12, 2024meh. I think this was a cookbook that tried too hard --- let's make everything about chili crisp! See you can't live without it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews