Nothing tastes like childhood fairly as a lot as ketchup. The enduring condiment of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices has zigzagged throughout my fries, burgers, and picnic sizzling canine for so long as I can keep in mind. However like most Individuals, I’ve sometimes relied on a bottle of Heinz for the traditional sweet-tangy taste. 

So once I heard that cult-favorite chili crisp model Fly By Jing was releasing a ketchup with Taiwanese American cook dinner and blogger Frankie Gaw, aka Little Fats Boy, I used to be intrigued. Packaged in a squirt bottle, this new sauce bridges America’s most beloved condiment with the electrifying tingle of Szechuan peppercorn.

It has a bit of sweetness from maple syrup fairly than high-fructose corn syrup, and loads of umami due to substances like seaweed powder, sesame oil, shallots, mushroom powder, and soy sauce. However the actual magic comes from the peppercorns. Think about all the pieces you like a few squeeze of traditional Heinz, then layer on the numbing, citrusy buzz that has made Fly By Jing’s chili crisp so in style.

After I tried Fly By Jing’s ketchup facet by facet with Heinz, I used to be impressed by its complexity. The condiment opens with these comforting notes of childhood, then hits you with the Szechuan peppercorn. It begins as a heat glow, then blossoms into that signature mala tingle, resetting your style buds for the following chew. As a result of the sugar stage is dialed again, the sauce reads savory first, spicy second, and candy third, making it subtle sufficient for cocktail hour but playful sufficient for a yard cookout. Consider it because the condiment equal of swapping a soda for a Negroni.

How you can use Fly By Jing Chili Crisp Ketchup

The best method to test-drive this ketchup is, after all, with french fries. However you’ll discover that it doesn’t have the identical gloppy thickness of conventional ketchup. As an alternative, it has a thinner physique that slips down the ridges of crinkle-cut and common fries. It’s nonetheless dippable, simply not as thick as Heinz.

The sauce actually sings in settings the place conventional ketchup can style flat. For instance, you may make an prompt particular sauce improve by mixing two components chili crisp ketchup with one half good mayonnaise. Add it to burgers to chop via the richness, or brush it onto meatloaf in the course of the ultimate 10 minutes of baking for a lacquer that caramelizes on the edges, including depth and a faint crackle that invitations second helpings.

Past the comfort-food canon, think about all the opposite locations you utilize ketchup and go wild. Squirt a tablespoon right into a Bloody Mary instead of sizzling sauce so as to add complexity with out over-salting. Whisk it with rice vinegar and sesame oil to make a speedy dip for shrimp cocktail. Drizzle it onto tofu glazed with soy and maple, swirl it via stovetop mac and cheese, or spoon it atop deviled eggs. Replenish now; this restricted run is destined to vanish quick. $15 for an eight-ounce bottle; flybyjing.com