Trader joe’s Chili Onion Crunch

Similar to the jars of chili oil with crunchy garlic you can find on the table of many Chinese restaurants, the genius of Chili Onion Crunch is in its simplicity: with just a handful of simple ingredients, it creates a remarkably deep flavor profile that manages to accentuate the flavors of anything else it’s placed on. The crispy, crunchy, dried garlic and onion creates a delightfully bold, verging-on-umami base, while dried red bell pepper and chili flakes build onto that with complementary smoky, slightly sweet, subtly spicy notes. Most importantly, however, is the olive oil, which not only binds the other ingredients together, but becomes infused with a balanced blend of all the other flavors, combining them all into one superbly savory seasoning.