Chile crisp and salsa macha are taking over the kitchens of spicy food lovers Listen 9 min MORE Chile crisp in jars. Chile crisp relies on infusing a mixture of chiles and aromatics like onion and garlic, along with proprietary spice in a generous bath of hot oil. Photo by Ken Concepcion.
Evan Kleiman predicts 2021 to be the year of peak chile crisp and its cousin salsa macha. Both chile crisp and salsa macha rely on infusing a mixture of chiles and aromatics like onion and garlic, along with proprietary spice in a generous bath of hot oil. Often nuts and seeds are added. Versions range from truly fiery to a friendly bit of sting, depending on the chiles used.