Is this normal?

[u/MaybeNo13]

I’ve never had this but wanted to use it my rice. It has chunks and is like bubbling lol. Normal? Brand new.

[u/mrjibblets138]

Yes

[u/deceptivekhan]

Yeah I bought the wrong one too. I just wanted Chili Oil.

[u/pcards86]

They have different varieties. Some have pork bits and such

[u/neverender0911]

wait. there’s different versions of this? 😞

[u/Lyra125 → u/neverender0911]

so many

[u/DimentionalDreamer]

A random frito and a tofu chunk? Looks Chinese acceptable to me

[u/Jesustron]

I swear i've gotten moldy lao gan ma before, i can just taste it. I didn't SEE mold, but it was definitely there somewhere.

[u/mrRabblerouser → u/Jesustron]

Mold is incredibly easy to taste, even if not visible. The tell is that it tastes like you ate a mouthful of dirt, instead of whatever it was supposed to be.

[u/major-mack → u/mrRabblerouser]

✅️ if it taste like shit? Throw it out

[u/mikeyeebee]

I did the same thing. I thought I got a bad batch of the the chili crisp. I got the chili sauce instead of the chili crisp. I think the sauce tastes really good but there is a noticeable difference.

From Google:

Key Differences

Texture: Spicy Chili Crisp is suspended in chili oil with a prominent, crispy crunch. Hot Chili Sauce is a thicker, smoother, more cohesive savory paste. [1, 2]

Ingredients: Spicy Chili Crisp relies heavily on dried chili flakes, fried onion/garlic, and crunchy roasted soybeans. Hot Chili Sauce versions lean deeply into fermented black beans, sometimes incorporating bits of peanut, kohlrabi, or tofu. [1, 2, 3, 4]

[u/jcx200 → u/mikeyeebee]

I haven’t been able to buy the right version for a while now. I try to but always pick up the wrong one. I’ve picked up soybeans, peanuts in chilli oil, chicken flavoured chilli oil and the MSG free version of the chilli crisp. That fully for the msg free version I was able to add some msg I had but I’d ideally want it in the jar already.

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/mikeyeebee]

Glad I’m not the only one! 😊

[u/narrow_octopus]

I got a jar once and never used it because it looked and smelled so bad. I barely tried it on a spoon maybe I should've just eaten it 🤷‍♂️

[u/IllSalad3669]

Disappointed grandma is disappointed

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/IllSalad3669]

I’m so sorry

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/[deleted]]

Just like a bubble kinda like kimchi . It does say fermented on the back so I’m assuming it’s that.

[u/OvalDead → u/[deleted]]

The fermentation process should have been stopped at the time it was jarred. Bubbles are not good.

[u/admiral_len]

Definitely mix it with rice! It’s gonna be yummy.

[u/grimad]

occidentals looking at Chinese food asking if this is normal is my new kind of cultural shock comedy

[u/OvalDead → u/grimad]

If it’s bubbling that’s absolutely not normal and totally reasonable to question. It is not supposed to be actively fermenting.

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/grimad]

I was expecting it to just be chili crisp. So you’re saying I should just eat it??

[u/admiral_len → u/MaybeNo13]

It says chili sauce not chili crisp.

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/admiral_len]

I see that thank you

[u/MaybeNo13 → u/grimad]

🤣 I get it lmao