THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Chili Crisp Sour Cream

Cool, creamy, lightly spicy. Two ingredients. Cross-links across the cookbook.

YIELD4 servings
TOTAL TIME1 min
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~40 cal | ~1g protein

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Daisy Light Sour Cream
  • 2-3 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil

You want a cool, creamy dip that adds heat + complexity without dumping calories. Fold (don't stir) — visible orange chili oil streaks ARE the brand. Build it once Sunday, it crosses 3+ dinners through the week.

Method

  1. 1.SPOON SOUR CREAM into a small bowl or ramekin.
  2. 2.ADD CHILI CRISP on top — 2 tbsp if you want a mild dip, 3 tbsp if you want the heat to lead. Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow specifically because the shallot + garlic bits carry flavor; generic chili oil is too one-note.
  3. 3.FOLD GENTLY 3-4 TIMES with a spoon. STOP when you can still see orange chili oil streaks running through the white sour cream. Don't stir — fold. Homogenized = beige = looks like ranch. Streaked = chili crisp sour cream.
  4. 4.SERVE IMMEDIATELY or refrigerate up to 5 days. The streaks blur slightly after a few hours but the flavor holds.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Kid: Serve the kid portion as described above.

If something fails

Sauce looks beige / homogenous: You stirred too much. Drizzle a fresh 1 tsp of chili crisp ON TOP just before serving to restore the visual. Lesson for next time: fold 3-4 times maximum.

Too spicy for your taste: More sour cream — start at 1:8 chili crisp to sour cream ratio (1 tbsp per 1/2 cup). Or add 1 tsp lime juice to brighten and round off the heat.

Not spicy enough: Bump to 3 tbsp chili crisp. Or stir in 1/4 tsp red chili flakes. Don't substitute regular chili oil — Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow has the shallot + garlic bits doing the flavor work.

Watered out / thin after a day: Daisy Light naturally weeps a little after 24 hours. Stir before serving, drain off any excess clear liquid. OR use full-fat sour cream if you want zero weep (macros climb slightly).

Kid sees the orange streaks and refuses: Different bowl. The chili crisp version is adult-only — plate the kid's plain sour cream in its own ramekin/compartment so they never see the spicy version mixed in.

Storage and reheating

Store: Cover and refrigerate. The streaks blur slightly after a few hours but flavor holds 5 days.

Reheat: None — serve cold straight from the fridge.

Lasts: 5 days refrigerated. Best fresh for the visual; pre-batched for convenience.

Estimated nutrition

~40 cal | ~1g protein.

Per-serving (40 cal / 1g protein / 3.5g fat / 2g carbs) computed from 2 tbsp portion (1/8 of full batch). Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow chili crisp is 40 cal per 1 tbsp; Daisy Light is ~25 cal per 2 tbsp. Total batch at 4 servings = 160 cal. Flagged estimated because chili crisp serving sizes vary by jar.

thesplitplate.com/cookbook/chili-crisp-sour-cream

Chili Crisp Sour Cream
Split Cook Method™Sauce

Chili Crisp Sour Cream

Cool, creamy, lightly spicy. Two ingredients. Cross-links across the cookbook.

Make this when

You want a cool, creamy dip that adds heat + complexity without dumping calories. Fold (don't stir) — visible orange chili oil streaks ARE the brand. Build it once Sunday, it crosses 3+ dinners through the week.

Total time
1 min
Yield
4 servings
Protein / serving
~1g
Cal / serving
~40
Flavor target

Cool + creamy + visible chili oil swirl. The chili crisp brings shallot + garlic + slow heat; Daisy Light is the cool/tangy carrier. NOT homogenous beige — fold gently, stop while streaks remain.

Ingredients

Batch cookYields 4 servings — quantities below are the full batch.

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1

    SPOON SOUR CREAM into a small bowl or ramekin.

  2. 2

    ADD CHILI CRISP on top — 2 tbsp if you want a mild dip, 3 tbsp if you want the heat to lead. Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow specifically because the shallot + garlic bits carry flavor; generic chili oil is too one-note.

  3. 3

    FOLD GENTLY 3-4 TIMES with a spoon. STOP when you can still see orange chili oil streaks running through the white sour cream. Don't stir — fold. Homogenized = beige = looks like ranch. Streaked = chili crisp sour cream.

  4. 4

    SERVE IMMEDIATELY or refrigerate up to 5 days. The streaks blur slightly after a few hours but the flavor holds.

Adult plate | Kid plate

Adult plate

Adult

Full recipe. 2-3 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow chili crisp folded into 1/2 cup Daisy Light. Drizzle on the side of grilled chicken, smashed potatoes, wings — anywhere a cool/creamy/spicy dip fits.

Kid plate

Kid

Skip the chili crisp entirely. Plain Daisy Light Sour Cream in a small ramekin or the 3-compartment-tray dip well is the kid version. Kids consistently reject the visual chili-oil streaks — keep the cream pure white for them.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Cover and refrigerate. The streaks blur slightly after a few hours but flavor holds 5 days.

Reheat: None — serve cold straight from the fridge.

Lasts: 5 days refrigerated. Best fresh for the visual; pre-batched for convenience.

Brands I use

Daisy
Daisy
Light Sour Cream (1 lb / 16 oz tub, 50% less fat)
Tangy + cool + cuts the chili crisp heat. The Light variant is intentional — chili crisp does the flavor work, sour cream is the carrier. Full-fat works but pushes calories without adding much.
Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee
Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil (7.2 oz, 205g)
Shallot + garlic bits + chili oil. The Chiu Chow specifically — generic chili oil is too one-note. One jar runs across 3+ recipes (Outlaw thighs marinade + this sauce + leftover wraps).
#Grilled chicken thighs (Outlaw BBQ, see recipe 37)#Crispy smashed potatoes#Buffalo wings (alt to blue cheese crema)#Leftover grilled chicken wraps#Baked salmon#Roasted broccoli or asparagus#Cutting-friendly dip