Bang bang seasoning is a zesty blend of flavors that can add a kick to many different foods. Some quick answers about what bang bang seasoning goes well with include chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables, pasta, rice, potatoes, popcorn, and more. Keep reading for an in-depth look at the versatile uses of this tasty seasoning blend.
What is Bang Bang Seasoning?
Bang bang seasoning gets its name from the Sichuan province of China, where the combination of spicy chilies and bold numbing flavors is known as “ma la” or “bang bang.” The main ingredients in bang bang seasoning are:
- Chili flakes or chili powder
- Sesame seeds
- Crushed Sichuan peppercorns
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Sugar
- Salt
Together these ingredients deliver a powerful one-two punch of spicy heat from the chilies paired with a tingling, numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns. Store-bought blends may also contain extras like ginger, orange peel, soy sauce powder, and dried herbs. The overall flavor profile hits salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami notes.
Chicken
Chicken may be the most popular protein for bang bang seasoning. A sprinkle gives a burst of flavor to otherwise plain chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs. It’s easy to add to a stir fry, skillet cooked chicken, casseroles, salads, wraps, and more. The seasoning really enhances the savory flavor of poultry.
For extra flavor marination, mix 1-2 teaspoons of bang bang blend per pound of chicken with some oil, soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, and grated ginger or garlic. Let the chicken marinate for 20-30 minutes before cooking. The spices will get a chance to permeate the meat, taking the flavor up a notch.
Bang Bang Chicken Wings
Chicken wings coated in a bang bang glaze make a stellar Asian-inspired appetizer. Try this recipe:
- 1 pound chicken wings, split into drummettes and flats
- 2 tablespoons bang bang seasoning
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- Sesame seeds, chopped green onions, and lime wedges for garnish
- Pat the chicken wings dry and season them evenly with the bang bang seasoning blend.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
- Grill or bake the seasoned wings until cooked through, brushing with the glaze during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Garnish the finished wings with sesame seeds, green onions, and fresh lime juice.
Fish
The potent flavors in bang bang seasoning stand up well to meaty fish like salmon, halibut, tuna, and cod. It gives a boost to grilled, baked, or pan seared fillets. The mixture also jazzes up a fish taco filling, seafood stew, ceviche, poke bowl, or dipping sauce for shrimp.
Try coating firmer fish with about 1 teaspoon of seasoning per serving before pan frying or baking. For more delicate fish, cut back to 1/2 teaspoon per portion and add midway through cooking or as a finishing sprinkle.
Spicy Bang Bang Salmon
This simple salmon dinner gets addictive flavor from the seasoning blend:
- 2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons bang bang seasoning, divided
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Brush the salmon all over with olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon of the bang bang blend.
- In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning, brown sugar, and lime juice.
- Bake or saute the salmon fillets until cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
- Spoon the spice-lime mixture over the salmon to finish.
- Serve garnished with lime wedges.
Eggs
The punchy flavor of bang bang seasoning wakes up boring scrambled or fried eggs. It’s also excellent dashed onto a veggie omelet or transform into bang bang deviled eggs.
For scrambled eggs, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per beaten egg depending on your heat preference. Fold in the seasoning just before cooking. For deviled eggs, blend about 1/4 teaspoon per egg yolk into the filling before piping it into the cooked whites.
Bang Bang Breakfast Tacos
Make your eggs really pop in these bang bang breakfast tacos:
- 8 eggs
- 1 tablespoon bang bang seasoning, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 small tortillas
- Toppings like diced tomato, avocado, cheese, etc.
- Whisk together the eggs, 2 teaspoons bang bang seasoning, and some salt and pepper.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs. Stir occasionally until set.
- Warm the tortillas. Season the cooked egg mixture with the remaining 1 teaspoon bang bang seasoning.
- Divide the eggs among the tortillas. Serve with desired toppings.
Vegetables
Bang bang seasoning can spruce up vegetables like green beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, and more. Toss with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per pound of veggies before roasting or sauteing. It also livens up veggie fries, chips, salads, and slaws.
The blend works nicely in marinades and dressings for grilled vegetables too. Mix about 1 teaspoon per pound of veggies with olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Marinate cut veggies for 1-2 hours before grilling until charred.
Bang Bang Cauliflower Wings
For a meatless take on chicken wings, try bang bang cauliflower like this:
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons bang bang seasoning
- 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for dipping
- Toss the cauliflower florets with cornstarch to lightly coat.
- Spread the coated cauliflower on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with bang bang seasoning.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until crispy.
- Meanwhile, whisk buffalo sauce, honey, and butter over medium heat until blended.
- Toss the roasted cauliflower in the buffalo bang bang sauce to coat.
- Serve immediately with dressing for dipping.
Pasta
A dash of bang bang seasoning infuses pasta with chili pepper zing and aromatic spice. It’s excellent stirred into pasta tossed with olive oil or butter. Or make it the star seasoning in bang bang shrimp pasta or noodles.
Start with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the blend per serving. Mix it into hot cooked pasta along with any other ingredients like vegetables, protein, cheese, herbs, etc. The amount can be adjusted to taste from there.
Bang Bang Noodles
This recipe combines the classic Chinese flavors of bang bang with noodles:
- 8 ounces lo mein or stir fry noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup snow peas or broccoli
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup bang bang seasoning
- 2-3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Chopped peanuts, cilantro, lime wedges for garnish
- Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic, ginger, carrots, and snow peas. Stir fry 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked noodles and green onions. Toss to combine.
- Stir in the bang bang seasoning, chili garlic sauce, and soy sauce. Stir fry 1-2 minutes to evenly coat.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with peanuts, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Rice
The blend of spices and aromatics in bang bang seasoning pair perfectly with rice. It can be stirred into hot rice along with vegetables, eggs, meats, etc. for flavorful rice bowls. Simply use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per cup of cooked rice and adjust to taste.
Bang bang seasoning also excellently seasons fried rice. Try adding a tablespoon or two to the rice before stir frying with other mix-ins. The heat and tingle come through nicely.
Bang Bang Veggie Rice Bowl
Build a veggie rice bowl with bang bang flavor:
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup bang bang seasoning
- Juice of 1 lime
- Chopped cilantro
- Cook the rice according to package instructions.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the zucchini, corn, and bell pepper for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the black beans and season with the bang bang blend. Cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Place the cooked rice in bowls. Top with the veggie bean mixture.
- Drizzle with lime juice. Garnish with cilantro.
Potatoes
Wedges, fries, skins, bakes – you name it. Bang bang seasoning pairs well with all forms of potatoes. It adds a flavor punch to plain potatoes with its spicy, savory blend.
Use about 1/2 teaspoon per pound of potatoes. Sprinkle it on before roasting, air frying, baking, or pan frying. The seasoning also kicks up potato stews, casseroles, and mashes.
Bang Bang Baked Potato Wedges
Potato wedges are taken up a notch with this recipe:
- 3 russet potatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons bang bang seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Ranch dressing, for dipping
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Toss potato wedges with olive oil on a baking sheet to coat. Season with bang bang blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until crispy and browned, flipping once.
- Serve immediately with ranch dressing for dipping.
Popcorn
For a bold twist on movie night popcorn, use bang bang seasoning instead of regular salt. The spice blend clings nicely to those popcorn kernels, infusing them with concentrated zesty flavor in every bite.
Try sprinkling on 1 to 2 teaspoons over a batch of freshly popped popcorn. Adjust the amount to your preferred level of heat and tingle. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast can round out the flavors even more.
Bang Bang Popcorn Shrimp
Transform popcorn shrimp with this bang bang recipe:
- 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons bang bang seasoning
- Oil for frying
- Lemon wedges
- Pat shrimp dry. Dredge in cornstarch to coat.
- Heat 1-2 inches oil in a pot over medium high heat to 350°F.
- Fry the shrimp in batches 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Toss the fried shrimp with bang bang seasoning to coat.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Conclusion
With its signature mix of spicy chili pepper, numbing Sichuan peppercorn, sesame, and aromatics, bang bang seasoning can enhance all kinds of foods. It works especially well with chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables, grains, pasta, potatoes, and popcorn. A little bit packs a bold punch of flavor.
Experiment with blending the zesty seasoning into marinades, dressings, dips, and more. Adjust the amount to your taste for heat and tingle. Bang bang seasoning makes it easy to add excitement to everyday dishes.