chili crunch review
Bombay Chili Crunch Original Chili Crunch
A tier: Strong picks we keep coming back to
"Finally an Indian chili crunch that celebrates the flavors. Smoky, spiced, and gone quickly."
At a glance
- Category
- chili crunch
- Style
- Indian
- Brand based in
- Chicago, IL
- Oil base
- sunflower oil
- Seed-oil free
- No
- Price
- $$
- Small batch
- Yes
- Dietary
- vegan, gluten free
Sweet, savory, mysterious, and dangerously spoonable.
Bombay Chili Crunch is an Indian chili oil from Chicago: gluten-free, vegan, and built with sunflower oil, fried onion, garlic, spices, and Indian chili.
The taste test
This one surprised us. The texture is excellent: crunchy, oniony, and deeply savory. There is a sweetness underneath: masala? whatever the secret spice mix is, it works. The label keeps the “spices” vague, but the result tastes intentional rather than generic.
Heat lands in a comfortable medium zone. It is not trying to destroy you. It is trying to make you take another bite.
What to eat it on
Rice, eggs, dal, noodles, sandwiches. We did it, and it worked. It has enough personality to stand out but enough balance to play nicely with most foods.
Verdict
A tier. Bombay Chili Crunch is one of the best non-Chinese chili crunches we have tried. It feels like a real product with a real point of view, and we kept reaching for this one; we killed our 6 oz jar very quickly.
Where to buy: online or select retailers; about $12 for 6 oz.
Best on
- cheese & dips
- eggs
- pizza
- sandwiches
Skip it if
- you want to know exactly what is in it: the label just says "spices" and we respect the secret
Keep tasting
If you like this, try...
A CMK: Chili Monkey King
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Spice-challenge hot. A little goes a long way; this bottle will outlive us all.
A Barnacle Foods
Kelp Chili Crisp
Alaskan kelp brings oceanic umami you cannot fake. Wildly good on eggs.
B Heinz
Culinary Crunch: Chili Pepper
From the ketchup people: $6.78, everywhere, surprisingly crunchy. A safe first jar.