Mala-Spiced Chex Mix

My husband often jokes that I subsist entirely on caffeine, sugar, and an assortment of snacks. He’s not wrong: Despite being a food writer and editor, I often forget to eat lunch, a bad habit fueled by my constant snacking throughout the day. By the time 2 p.m. rolls around and I realize I haven’t had lunch, I’ve already satiated myself on crackers, dried fruit, or, if I’ve set myself up for success, a batch of crunchy, savory homemade Chex mix. 

The great thing about Chex mix is its ease and versatility: All you need are a few boxes of cereal, some nuts and pretzels, and whatever seasoning your heart desires. You could toss your Chex mix in chaat masala, the fabulously funky South Asian spice blend, or go the tangy, savory route with Caesar dust. My favorite way to season Chex mix, though, is with a málà spice blend.

Málà, which means “numbing” and “spicy” in Mandarin, refers to both a flavor and a feeling—the pleasant tingling sensation left in your mouth after consuming food spiced with chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. It's the signature flavor of mapo tofu and Sichuan-style wontons, and its  punchy flavor also lends itself well to many snacks, including l potato chips, popcorn, and, yes, Chex mix.

6 Keys to Bringing the Málà to the Party Mix

Here's how I make this spicy, savory, tingly snack that’s as well suited to an elegant cocktail party as it is to tailgating or a movie night with family and friends. 

1. Use an assortment of cereals and nuts. For a snack mix that has plenty of crunch, I use three different kinds of Chex—corn, rice, and wheat—along with peanuts and pretzels. Feel free to create your ideal mix, though: Swap in different nuts for peanuts, skip the nuts entirely, or use potato chips instead of pretzels. And while I like the classic combo of the three different Chex varieties, you can also use just one or two varieties if you prefer. If you want to make a gluten-free mix, omit the Wheat Chex—just be sure that the chili crisp and pretzels you use are also gluten free.
2. Toast your cereal and nuts. Toasting helps bring out the naturally sweet, earthy flavors of the cereals and peanuts, and is one of the easiest ways to make your Chex mix more delicious. Just spread the cereal and nuts evenly on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, bake them in a 325ºF (160ºC) oven until golden brown, and stir them from time to time to prevent them from burning.
3. Toast and grind whole spices, then bloom them in fat. For the most fragrant spice blend, I toast Sichuan peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, and cardamom in a skillet over medium heat until they’re fragrant, then I grind them up. As former Serious Eats editor Sho has written about previously, “toasting heats volatile flavor compounds,” resulting in new, more complex aromas. Though you could easily stop here, I wanted to take it one step further: I melt butter in the same pan I use to toast the spices, then bloom the freshly ground spices in the fat. Spices contain many fat-soluble flavor compounds, and adding them to the melted butter helps release these aromas, while also making it easier to evenly distribute the spices throughout the Chex mix.
4. Double the málà effect with a combination of Sichuan peppercorns and chili crisp. After I’ve bloomed the spices, I take the pan off the heat and fold in a healthy dose of chili crisp, a savory, spicy Chinese condiment that typically contains oil, chiles, and fried garlic, shallots, or peanuts. My go-to brand is Lao Gan Ma, but you’re more than welcome to use a homemade chili crisp, your preferred brand, or whatever is most readily available near you. If you want a more mild snack mix, you can reduce the amount of Sichuan peppercorns to two tablespoons and substitute the chili crisp with four additional tablespoons of unsalted butter.
5. Toss, toss, toss. To evenly coat the Chex mix in the spice blend, I recommend using two spatulas or wooden spoons to toss the cereals, nuts, and pretzels well—taking care to scoop from the bottom of the bowl—until everything is well-combined.