The $9 jar of fermented chili crisp that humbled my spice ego

I spent years thinking I was tough when it came to heat, so when my coworker from Chicago brought this tiny jar of fermented chili crisp to the break room, I laughed at the price tag. Nine bucks for something that looked like oily red sludge with floaty bits, and I told her I could get the same thing at the corner market for half that. Then I put a spoonful on a plain rice cake just to prove a point, and my mouth went through three phases of surprise, first the crunch of the garlic and onion bits, then this slow smoky warmth that built up, and finally a zing that made my eyes water but not in a bad way. The fermentation adds this funky depth you can't get from just crushing up dried peppers, and I actually went back to that store in Chicago last weekend just to buy three more jars. So I'm wondering, has anyone else found a condiment that made you completely rethink how much you actually know about heat or flavor combinations?

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