La-yu is Japanese chilli oil: chopped chilli, fried garlic and onion suspended in sesame oil. Momoya Taberu Mild La-Yu, the one our chefs nicknamed 'Chilli Crack', is a crunchy, spoonable version with the flavour of chilli and barely any heat. Spoon it over rice, ramen, gyoza, eggs, tofu, chips, even cream cheese.
What is la-yu?
La-yu is chilli oil. Chopped chilli pepper sits in sesame oil, often with spring onion and other spices fried and boiled in to flavour the oil. The aromatics are then strained out, leaving a clear, reddish oil used to spice up ramen and gyoza across Japan.
Taberu la-yu is the version you eat by the spoonful. "Taberu" means "for eating". Instead of straining out the solids, the maker leaves them in, so you get crunchy fried garlic and onion in every spoonful. That is what makes Momoya's the cult product it is.
Why chefs call it Chilli Crack
The nickname came from our Michelin-starred customers, and it stuck. It is one of the most moreish products we sell. The mild blend gives you the savoury depth of chilli and toasted sesame without the burn, so it works as a finishing condiment rather than a heat hit. One two-star kitchen even put it on a dessert.
Use it anywhere you want crunch and savour. Over a bowl of rice, on yakisoba, on tofu, folded through cream cheese, or piled on chips. It crosses straight from Japanese cooking into Western dishes without missing a beat.
History
Taberu la-yu started in Okinawa just after the millennium. A Chinese man living on the islands made a Chinese-style la-yu using Okinawan ingredients, including Piper retrofractum (a long pepper) and brown sugar, with the solids left in the oil. It caught on locally.
In 2009 the Japanese food company Momoya launched their own version, named taberu la-yu, "la-yu for eating". Demand was so high that Japanese supermarkets sold out and could not keep up. It went from a regional curiosity to a store-cupboard staple in Japanese homes.
How to use Chilli Crack
There is no wrong answer, but these are the ones chefs come back to:
- On rice: a spoonful over plain steamed rice is the classic.
- On gyoza and ramen: where la-yu started, and still hard to beat.
- On eggs: fried, scrambled or in a tamagoyaki.
- On tofu: cold silken tofu, hiyayakko style.
- Off-piste: chips, cream cheese, roast vegetables, even a dessert if you are feeling brave.
