Be chili! Don’t lose that spark of madness
It’s hot, hot, hot! But we’re not talking about the weather. Rather, we’re talking about the hot chili goodness exploding inside our mouths as Shake Shack BGC unwraps its latest, hottest offering yet: the Crispy Chili menu.
Shake Shack turns up the heat, one bite at a time, with this fiery collaboration with A Spark of Madness, a Hong Kong-homegrown brand of handmade vegetarian condiments and chocolates.
Everyone in the room is on a chili pepper high as we get a literal kick out of the new Crispy Chili menu, a flavorful spin on Shake Shack’s classic comfort food favorites, thanks to A Spark of Madness condiments that you’re bound to fall madly in love with.
Some like it (chili) hot
First come the fried-and-tested fries — the Crispy Chili Cheese Fries topped with Shack cheese sauce and just the right amount of A Spark of Madness Crispy Chili Oil to awaken your lethargic taste buds.
The hottest attraction on the menu is the Crispy Chili Chicken sandwich made of 100-percent, all-natural chicken breast glazed in Crispy Chili Oil and layered with pickled cucumber, shredded lettuce, and a creamy scallion mayo. It’s crunchy, it’s juicy, it’s everything you’ve always wanted in a chicken sandwich with the added bonus of a sprinkle of spicy magic.
Want your chicken in easy bite size? Here come the Crispy Chili Chicken Bites — crispy, poppable, served with the same scallion mayo on the side for a dipping sauce (no double dipping, please!).
To complete our feisty bunch is the Crispy Chili Cheesedog, all-natural beef hotdog drizzled with Shack cheese sauce and a dollop of the addictive Crispy Chili Oil. The ultimate flavor bomb in a bun!
Oil’s well that ends well. But wait, we just have to meet the one who sparked off all this madness on the global food scene.
Meet ‘Spice Girl’ Simran Savlani
Meet the beauty and brains behind A Spark of Madness: “Spice Girl” Simran Savlani. She flew in from Hong Kong a few days ago just for the launch and to bring the hottest news. “It all started with a cook book titled A Spark of Madness which I wrote in 2021 during the COVID pandemic,” she relates with a sparkle in her eyes. “I remember the comedian Robin Williams who said that every human being is only given a little spark of madness and he must not lose it.”
She hastens to add, “I’ve always loved spices and, more than cooking, I’ve always loved feeding people — that was my biggest thing. Food is the best thing to share. Apparently, in Manila, before you even say hello, you ask someone if they’ve eaten. And that’s exactly how I grew up, where food is an integral part of all my social and family outings.”
She confesses, “My dream in my entire life has been to open a restaurant. Now, it’s nice to think that instead of having one restaurant, I’m feeding people across the world with my sauces.”
However, her deep-rooted love for chili didn’t start in childhood. “My parents (both Indians but she was born in Taiwan) didn’t feed me chili for a long time,” she recalls. “I always said no to chili in my food. And then I discovered that chili didn’t have to be that spicy; there are so many types of chili but my favorite is Sichuan peppercorn.”
Simran assures Filipinos who have very low spice tolerance that they don’t have to call a fireman to put out the fire in their mouths when enjoying her spice condiments. “Even though we have spice in our condiments, they’re not all spicy,” she stresses. “We want to make sure Spark elevates your food, adds flavor to your food but it’s not a hot sauce where you can’t taste anything but the sauce. Our sauces add a nice flavor, but you can still taste the food.”
Spice and everything nice
And now, meet Simran’s Spark condiments, all of which are lovingly concocted by this creative entrepreneur in her kitchen. A hands-down favorite is the Crispy Chili Oil, inspired by Lao Gan Ma, Spark founder. Surely in onion, there is strength and the Caramelized Spring Onion is an ode to Taiwanese scallion pancakes and is gluten-free. Too many bowls of dan dan (Chinese noodle dish with a spicy sauce) led to the creation of the Crack Sauce. The Crack Mayonnaise is a spicy mayo inspired by the cha chaan tengs (tea restaurants) of Hong Kong. The Black Truffle Chili Crisp is Italian black truffle infused with 8 Asian spices, and is gluten-free and has no added sugar. Add a spark to your food with the Spark Bark that combines fragrant Sichuan peppercorns, 53-percent rich chocolate and crunchy, perfectly salted pretzel bits. Mad Honey is a lychee flower honey from Hong Kong, infused with Asian spices, rice vinegar, and salt. You’ll go mad over this one, Honey!
But of course, Simran has non-chili condiments. The Pineapple Jam with Whisky has togarashi (capsicum) and thyme, great for highballs (mixed alcoholic drinks) and grilled cheese. The Pink Guava Jam with Gin, made of bird’s eye chili and ginger, makes a great baked brie. The Peach Jam with Tequila makes a stimulating barbecue marinade with its jalapeno and hibiscus.
Indeed, Simran is mad about this collaboration between Shake Shack and A Spark of Madness. “Wherever Shake Shack goes, we wanna go,” she declares. “Our values are very aligned. They believe in good food, good products, good people, good service.”
To celebrate this launch, Shake Shack is offering free-form pottery classes in partnership with ceramic studio Bumi and Ashe on Sept. 6 and 7 at Shake Shack Alabang Town Center. Enjoy a free Crispy Chili meal set plus a swag from Bumi and Ashe. To reserve a slot, visit bumiandashe.com or check out @bumi.and.ashe on Instagram.
You think it’s too hot to handle? Don’t be chili! Keep that spark of madness burning in you.
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The Spark Chili menu is available until Oct. 18 at all Shake Shack locations nationwide.
For those who want to bring the heat home, A Spark of Madness’ Crispy Chili Oil (200g) will be available for purchase in-Shack and on shakeshack.ph, except SM North EDSA, Gateway 2 Mall, and NAIA T3.
