The rich, vibrant flavors of China are now available to home chefs and food lovers throughout the country with the launch of CY Eats MáLà Chili Oil, an authentic, handcrafted, small-batch produced, multifaceted condiment that enlivens and enhances most any dish. The creation of food influencer Christine Yi and professional chef James Tracey (a.k.a. Yi's fiancé), the new oil – named after Yi's Instagram persona, @CY_Eats – is a complex, smoky and potent product made from a proprietary blend of Sichuan chili flakes, peppercorns, spices, ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce and citrus.
The genesis of CY Eats MáLà Chili Oil lies in Yi's frequent travels to China during her previous career in finance. Enamored with the depths of flavors of the chili oils she experienced there, she searched for something equivalent in the US to no avail. Eventually, she was determined to make her own and embarked on months of experimentation that never yielded an oil on par with the Chinese iterations. During the pandemic, however, she was finally able to enlist the help of Tracey, who like many chefs suddenly had unexpected time on his hands. Together, they continued the trial-and-error process before achieving their eureka moment of perfect potency and flavor.
Available in two varieties - CY Eats Original MáLà Chili Oil ($12.00 per 4oz jar, $22.00 per 9.5oz jar) and CY Eats Spicy MáLà Chili Oil ($12.50 per 4oz jar), which offers the same intricate flavors as the Original with the added punch of green Sichuan peppercorns and crushed Xiao Mi La chili peppers, they can be ordered for nationwide shipment via www.cyeats.com. It is also available at select retail establishments in New York City, including the Tin Building by Jean-Georges and Pearl River Mart Foods in Chelsea Market.
