Gift Guide 2019: Very Hot

For the past few years I've included at least one favorite and unusual hot sauce (I'm still very fond of last year's selection), but this year the hot sauce craze has gone - well, crazy. There are so many on the market that there are now dozens of hot sauce of the month clubs.

So this year I'm recommending a slight alternative. If you like Sichuan peppercorns you rejoiced when they came back on the market a few years ago. (If you want to read about the ban, you can do it here.) But you also know how fugitive that ma la flavor can be. You just can't keep the peppercorns very long before the distinctive tingly burn begins to fade.

This Blankslate Szechuan Chili Oil, with its intriguing, slightly gingery zip, is the answer. I keep it in my refrigerator to perk up just about everything from Ma Po Tofu to steamed spinach. It's made in Brooklyn, and if you live in New York State it's pretty easy to find. It's also easily available online.