Name: Chilli Crisp Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 serving or 100g Pasta (Papardelle); 3-4 tbsps of Pasta Water*; 1 tbsp Oil; 1 tbsp Butter; 1 tsp Garlic; 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce; 1 tbsp Chilli Powder (adjust according to spice tolerance); 3-4 tbsp Fried Shallots; 2-3 tbsps Shredded Cheese; A handful of Cilantro

How to make this easy, spicy, creamy fusion pasta dish, Chilli Crisp Pasta in just 10 minutes!

This Chilli Crisp Pasta is easy, requires ZERO homemade chilli oil, but ultra tasty and addictive. This is going to be your new go-to fusion pasta recipe. This recipe features a secret superpower ingredient: fried shallots!

In a week, I typically have that one day of leftover dishes – these would be food that I make using ingredients that I need to clear from the fridge. Typically I don’t go back to those recipes. THIS one however, I go back to over and over again. In fact I buy ingredients specifically to make this!

I have an easy chilli oil pasta recipe that I frequent. Basically I toss pasta in my ready-made homemade Chilli Oil, add light soy sauce, garlic, cilantro and I call it a day.

I made up this recipe because I had fried shallots, about a couple tablespoons of cheese that can’t go in a full meal, some dead looking cilantro in the fridge and a rather useless knob of butter to use up. I whipped it all up in a pasta dish for lunch one day and ding ding! My eyes lit up like it has never before.

This is a slightly spicy, creamy pasta dish with the delightful crunch of the fried shallots. It’s addictive!

The Fusion Pasta: Chilli Crisp Pasta

This pasta recipe is a fusion of Western and Asian flavours! This uses the techniques and a couple of typical ingredients used in pasta, but with a bunch of Asian ingredients.

The use of butter and cheese are the standard western ingredients here. The techniques here would be in infusing the chilli oil with garlic, and tossing in pasta water to thicken the pasta sauce.

On the Asian side, we have the fried shallots, light soy sauce and oyster sauce as seasonings and that final sprinkling of cilantro or coriander.

If there is perhaps that one common ingredient, it will the use of chilli flakes!

The Crisp in Chilli Crisp Pasta

There’s only one ingredient creating that delightful extra layer of flavour – fried shallots! You can make your own, but I never do. In Asia we have an abundance of fried shallots ready made and seasoned to perfection… and cheap too! It makes no sense to make it from scratch.

The fried shallots are added in two steps. The first step is in making that chilli butter oil, where the onions flavour the sauce. The second step is at the end as garnishing where you’re add that fresh crunch. I consider both steps crucial to make the perfect plate of Chilli Crisp Pasta!

Can I just use regular onions or shallots? If you want chilli crisp pasta – no. It’s different. Fried shallots or onions are a lot sweeter and caramelised in flavour. If you still choose to use regular onions or shallots, you will still have a tasty dish! Just not Chilli Crisp Pasta.

Why I Love this Chili Crisp Pasta

For one simple reason: you do not need chilli oil! Don’t get me wrong, I love chilli oil. But I go through mine so quickly, and good chilli oil isn’t exactly a 10-minute recipe. So I go a long period of time without that good stuff.

This recipe makes the “chilli oil” straight in the pan.

The addition of butter makes it rich, and light soy sauce and oyster sauce give it that savoury umami that we love. Of course, we love cheese. Cheese is also umami, hence win!

What is the Best Pasta to Use with this?

Any pasta of choice will work, but I find it more satisfying to use spaghetti, fettucine or papardelle – which is what I used here.

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