New Ways to Use Chilli Oil

Chilli heads will enjoy this brand of spicy oil

Yesterday I was invited to a chilli oil tasting from a local brand called Holy Duck Chili Oil in the Chinatown Storytelling Centre in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Grape tomato, bocconcini and chilli

Husband and wife Chris Fung and Louise Pang founded Holy Duck Chili Oil, and they not only presented the various products they have, but also showed how to use them in interesting ways.

I usually use chilli oil to spice up dumplings or noodles, but they demonstrated how they could be used in various finger foods to serve at parties.

The first one had diced mango and octopus on a cracker and drizzled with the original Holy Duck Chili Oil.

Who knew that mango tastes good with a chilli kick?

Another easy to make munchie for friends is grape tomatoes and bocconcini with a basil leaf on a mini skewer and a bit of chilli oil drizzled on top, in particular the vegan version of the Holy Duck chilli oil that is made with lion's mane mushrooms. 

The third dish they showed was rice rolls filled with imitation crab, various vegetables, vermicelli and their chilli oil with salted egg yolk sauce. Interestingly the distinct salted egg yolk flavour didn't come through in the rice rolls, though they were prepared ahead of time. 

Fung and Pang invite people to try

Finally a fun finish was their take on Caesar drinks by making jelly shots of tomato juice, a stick of celery, lime juice, but no vodka, and the rim featured their powdered chilli seasoning called sum sum. It wasn't too spicy -- or had I become acclimatised by this point?

Fung and Pang started Holy Duck Chili Oil in 2021, a year after they arrived in Vancouver from Hong Kong, unable to find work.

They adapted Pang's grandmother's chilli oil recipe and gave it to friends and family as Chinese New Year gifts and many told the couple they should sell it, so they did. Their secret is using rendered duck fat to give the oil richness that isn't found in other chilli oils, hence the name, Holy Duck.

With a knack for coming up with a clever name and fun label depicting a duck eating a hot chilli, Holy Duck's sales seem to be good online and it is stocked in a few local stores.

Chinese-Canadian Caesar jelly shots

We hope they continue to find more success with their can-do attitude and gracious hospitality.