Pantry Files: UmamiPapi Founder, Ethan Yong

Can you tell us about the inspiration for UmamiPapi? Where did the idea come from?

If we go way back, I remember being really young, about five years old or so and my mum made me a bowl of spicy noodles. Being five, I obviously hated noodles and couldn’t handle how hot they were. My mum’s response was “if you don’t learn to enjoy spicy food you are going to miss out on so many delicious foods when you are older”. For some reason, my five-year-old brain could register this logic and thought I’d better suck it up and learn to appreciate spice. From that point on, I started to get into chilli. We wouldn’t really have chilli at home, but we would get it from Asian restaurants, those little plastic containers of chilli oil that you get with dumplings or crispy pork, and I’d get excited to go to different restaurants and try the chilli oil. 

When I got to Uni, I started to get into food and cooking and my passion started developing. Every few months friends would come over, we’d hang out and I’d make a batch. At the end of the night, they’d fill old jam jars they had brought and take chilli oil home with them.

Fast forward to 2020, I was in my first corporate job after finishing Uni and we were in Covid lockdown. My friend posted an Instagram story of some chilli oil that he bought. I replied asking him why he had bought the oil when he could get it for free from me. I was kind of offended but at the same time thought it was a pretty good idea. I’m a competitive person so when he suggested I should make my own, it ignited that fire in my belly to go for it and make a better chilli oil. I started experimenting with all these different ingredients to get the perfect recipe and to create an oil that tasted familiar and was super flavourful. 

At a certain point in 2021, the business had grown so much that I knew I couldn’t keep operating at the level I was operating. This was coming out of Covid lockdowns when we were also expected to be back in the office, and I was working on UmamiPapi before and after work as well as on the weekends. I was burning out without realising, constantly thinking about two things at once. It was at this pivotal point when I had some serious conversations with my managers and made the decision to leave my corporate job and just go for it, to put my heart and soul into it full time and truly unlock its potential. 

What has surprised you about your journey (so far)?

I used to be one man running the show and now I’ve got a team of ten people, all in different roles. It’s been amazing to see how everyone is contributing to the brand and helping grow this company and share my vision. It honestly makes waking up every day super exciting.

What has surprised me most is to see the way people react to the products. I knew they were delicious but some of the reviews declare the oil ‘a life-changing condiment’ or how they want to bathe in it, that they can’t have eggs without it anymore or they’d rather just not eat eggs if they run out. Despite how expensive it is to send it internationally I now have customers from all over the world! 

Original or Extra Hot? What is your favourite way to use UmamiPapi? 

I like things spicy so I would say Extra Hot. But I end up using the Original a lot more, mainly because I create a lot of content for Instagram and Tik-Tok. I try to showcase the Original most as it’s our best-selling product and I also prefer to use it as an ingredient in cooking as opposed to as the final, finishing condiment. I love incorporating it into different marinades and sauces to show how versatile it is. 

I’ve also gotten over the honeymoon phase of just putting it on everything at the end and am focusing on trying to think of new ways to experiment with it. I love using it with butter or cream as it adds richness to a dish and the chilli oil adds that layer of flavour, spicy kick and crunch, turning it into a delicious sauce or gravy you can put on steak, or pasta or vegetables. One of our best performing recipe videos is actually an Umami Steak Sauce. 

Image: UmamiPapi

How do you find inspiration in the kitchen?

When I started off with UmamiPapi I didn’t use a recipe, I was just learning about different ingredients and playing with ones I enjoyed, even if they didn’t traditionally go in chilli oil. Cumin is a great example that you don’t usually find in chilli oil, but I just love it. I thought, it’s my chilli oil and I think this tastes good, so screw the rules, if it tastes good, who cares. I apply the same type of creativity to the dishes I make at home. I follow recipes but I don’t need to follow it to a tee and improvise quite a bit. To me, the fun of cooking is the experimentation and the trial and error and ultimately creating a dish that is incredible. And if it doesn’t work out then you just don’t serve it…and we don’t have to talk about those times, you just move on! 

There is also so much content out there, particularly on Instagram. There are a lot of creators that I follow and really like and from whom I draw inspiration. 

Is there a chef or local producer/maker/artisan that you admire most and why?  

I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few chefs here in Australia who purchase UmamiPapi to use in their menus. I’ve built relationships with these chefs and it’s wonderful to be able to go into their kitchens where they’ll show me how they’re using the chilli oil and we’ll experiment together, many times on interesting and unorthodox pairings such as a dessert. A chef that comes to mind is Dirk. He is originally from Germany and is the head chef at Zagames House. There is a wine bar and a breakfast café that he runs so we’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with UmamiPapi in different dishes and even created an entirely new dish around the oil. He’s a very talented chef and has incredible experience, creativity and knowledge so it’s been humbling getting to work with him and having him feature UmamiPapi. 

How does your cooking style change with the season? Do you have any go-to recipes for winter?

Definitely. In the summertime I like to create dishes that are more fresh and lighter. Lots of seafood and salads, raw fish, soba noodles. I’m not saying I wouldn’t eat this during the colder months, but it is important to me to use seasonal ingredients. In winter I lean towards broths, rich sauces and always noodles. I think winter is a nicer time to eat a lot of hot, hearty, and wholesome dishes.

One of my favourite dishes to make in winter is a braised pork belly with steamed rice and Asian greens – you put the pork in a pan with star anise and cinnamon bark, UmamiPapi, soy, brown sugar, and butter, put the lid on and let it simmer for about an hour so it’s slowly cooked and soft and tender to bite into. At the last ten minutes take the lid off, turn up the heat and the sauce will reduce, and become this beautiful, thick gravy. Add some coriander and serve on the rice and veg. Delicious. 

What is your favourite/most useful pantry staple?

I would have to say soy sauce as it adds that extra level and layer of flavour to any dish and it also forms the basis for so many other sauces. For example, you can combine soy sauce, sake, and sugar and it becomes teriyaki! It is incredibly versatile as you can use it for meat, vegetables, or rice. It also helps me to eat relatively healthy throughout the week without feeling like my meals are entirely bland. And it is so easy to use but comparably makes everything delicious. While it’s the ultimate condiment in Asian cooking, a ton of Western chefs use it too as it has so much flavour and depth. 

Can you describe your pantry using three adjectives (or phrases)?

Organized, well equipped, and international.  I have ingredients from all over the world and love to just open my pantry when I have guests over and be able to create diverse cuisines and meals.  

Do you have a favourite go-to snack?

I love potato chips. And ‘salt and vinegar’ is my favourite chip flavour. I wish I didn’t, but I also love candy and I love chocolate. I’d say that Skittles are my favourite candy of all time. 

What’s next for UmamiPapi? Will you expand the range?

Yes, we are working on a new sauce at the moment. It’s not a chilli oil or anything spicy but it does take inspiration from UmamiPapi and it’s probably something that is in most people’s pantries already. When launching a new product, I believe it’s best to take the time perfecting it, which is why we’ve essentially had only one product these past couple of years and are taking our time perfecting the next one. When it comes to gourmet condiments, I’d rather be a specialist than a generalist. We have such a great reputation now and people have high expectations, so we need to make sure that we not only get the product right, but we get the branding, jar, packaging, and label just right.

 

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