6 Local Chile Oils That Could Make Anything Taste Great Milu Chili Crisp. Photo: Melissa Hom With e-commerce gaining in importance for struggling restaurants, more New York chefs are making and shipping their own Chinese-style chile oils — many inspired by the irresistible crunchy texture and cult popularity of Guizhou Province’s Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp. A look at the local crop, all perfectly suited for rice-drizzling and stocking-stuffing $12 Before she began working on the fast-casual Chinese restaurant Milu and its pandemic-friendly retail pantry, chef Connie Chung had limited experience with the whole chili-crisp phenomenon. But once she started developing her house version, she aimed for something more savory than just spicy. Mission accomplished, with two distinguishing characteristics: the salty blast of fermented black beans and an umami boost from dried-shiitake-mushroom powder.