If you look around you, chili oil seems to be the latest craze out there… From dumplings to chow mein and everything in between, your food is boosted with a delicious and addictive, aromatic and mouth-watering, spice kick!!
Pour it over the noodles, drizzle it over the eggs, toss it with cucumbers, and keep dipping those wontons, once you get the hang of it. You would want your own bottle of this bright red colored chili oil in your pantry.
If you’re like me, tempted to buy one of those bottles of chilli oil from an Asian store, don’t!! We will tell you the how to make chilli oil in your own kitchen. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s oozing with a nice spicy kick (not something you can’t handle)…
By now you must know that we love food with BOLD flavors here. We, including our almost 4 year old, don’t mind getting a good old kick when it comes to hot and spicy things.
Our Hunan Shrimps, Vindaloo Pork, Fra Diavolo Shrimps or Gigi Hadid Pasta are perfect examples of recipes that are so delicious with just a little extra spice. Why? Spicy cos is delicious!!
So when we ate our last dumpling on one of our trips, we couldn’t get over the fiery red sauce they are dipped in. A little digging, and it’s nothing more than simple chili oil. So simple you can literally make it with just two ingredients. Chilli flakes and oil…
As stated above, this is basically your regular chili-infused oil. But it’s so popular in some Southeast Asian countries that everyone has their own favorite chili oil recipe, along with plenty of other flavorings.
Chinese chili oil may be a little different from Korean chili oil and may have different flavors from Japanese chili oil.
It’s one of their favorite condiments, generously drizzled over noodles, eggs and salads. Sometimes it can be a major ingredient in recipes like Chinese dan dan noodles and cucumber salad. Very often it is used as a dipping sauce for meats, as well as their delicate dim sums.
Any type of neutral oil, such as canola or peanut oil, is used to infuse the flavor of the chili. Hot oil is poured over the peppers, then left to cool. That’s it for the base chili oil.
Many times, however, many other aromatics like star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, black peppercorns, shallots, garlic, and ginger are added for added flavor.
- Oil – We use canola oil today, but you can use any other neutral oil like vegetable oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, or soybean oil.
- Hot peppers – We use 2 types of peppers. Korean chili peppers, known as Gochugaru, and regular red pepper flakes. Gochugaru are milder peppers than the others, but give a nice red color to this chili oil, without too much heat. Some people use whole dried Asian chili peppers and crush them in a blender to infuse them in oil. For spicier flavors, you can use Thai red chilies or Sichuan chilies.
- Aromatic spices – Star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom pods.
- Salt – Salt is a natural preservative, and it enhances the flavors of all herbs and spices.
1. Prepare the spice herbs: For the base chili oil, you can skip this step and just use oil and chili flakes. But many people also enjoy infusing simple spice flavors into chili oil. To extract the maximum flavor, dry roast them in a skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Be sure not to burn them.
2. Heat the oil: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear and the oil is hot. Add all your aromatic spices like star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and Sichuan peppercorns. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Watch your oil carefully, so as not to burn the aromatics. There should be slow bubbles coming from the aromatics all the time.
3. Pour the hot oil over the chili flakes: In a sturdy, heatproof bowl or jar, combine the Quran chilies and regular chili flakes, along with the salt. Now pour the oil over the chilli flakes through a strainer, so as to filter the aromatics from the oil
Point: If your strainer is small, you may want to remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the oil with a spoon first.
You will see the chili flakes sizzle with bubbles as you pour in the oil. Let stand a bit, then stir in the chili flakes and oil to evenly distribute the heat of the oil. Allow chili oil to cool before storing. We like to add a few star anise and the cinnamon stick to the container of oil to keep the nice spice aroma of the oil.
Since this version only uses dry spices, these can be stored at room temperature in an airtight jar with an airtight lid. Store it in a cool, dry place in your pantry. Use clean utensils each time you scoop chili oil to avoid contamination. You can store this chili oil for up to 5-6 months.
If you are using garlic or shallots to flavor the oil, it is best to store it in the refrigerator.
How to flavor the oil depends on each person’s preference and their family’s favorite chili oil recipe.
Garlic, shallots, ginger root, soy sauce, sesame seeds, Chinese five spice powder, cloves and much more… The base chili oil lacks that though. Some people call it crispy chili by adding all those extra additives. We will be making our own crispy chili very soon…
Chili oil is a great condiment for all your favorite Asian dishes like dim sums, dumplings, wontons and momos. It can be drizzled over noodles, stir fries, chow mein or ramen, or used as a dip for meats.
Drizzle it over your fried eggs, Turkish eggs or dip your boiled eggs. It is excellent on avocado toast with eggs, or even with tomatoes and blistered eggs.
It is an essential ingredient in Chinese cucumber salad and their famous Dan Dan noodles.
You can use oil alone as a cooking base for many recipes, to add more flavor to the dish.
Some people filter chili oil. Simply pour the prepared oil through a fine sieve, then discard the chili flakes. This is a personal preference and varies from region to region.
We found that we like our chili oil with lots of nutty chili flakes that settle at the bottom of the jar, giving all the beautiful colors and flavors to the oil. Good chili oil doesn’t have to be spicy, but has good smoky, nutty, and umami flavors, with a nice hint of heat.
We’ve found this chili oil to be such a versatile and addictive condiment that will add a welcome kick of heat and flavor to almost anything you cook. This is a recipe we absolutely love and can’t do without right now, and we’re sure you can’t either!!
Resist the urge to buy that store-bought chili oil and make your own in just minutes. Love at first sight for this beautiful red hue is instantaneous. Trust me on that…
Try these other great condiment recipes!
Hollandaise sauce
North African Chermoula
Smoked Chipotle Mayonnaise
Louisiana Remoulade
Mint and coriander chutney
tzatziki
Sauce for fries
Ingredients
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1.5 cups canola oil
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anise 4 stars
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1 cinnamon stick
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2 bay leaves
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3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
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6-7 cardamom pods
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1/2 cup Gochugaro Korean chili powder
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3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
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2 teaspoons of salt
Instructions
- Dry toast the star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, Sichuan peppercorns in a skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Be sure not to burn them.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear and the oil is hot. Add all your aromatic spices like star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and Sichuan peppercorns. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Watch your oil carefully, so as not to burn the aromatics. There should be slow bubbles coming from the aromatics all the time.
- In a sturdy, heatproof bowl or jar, combine Quran chilies and regular chili flakes, along with the salt. Now pour the oil over the chilli flakes through a strainer, so as to filter the aromatics from the oil. The oil will bubble when it touches the chili flakes.
- Let stand a bit, then stir in the chili flakes and oil to evenly distribute the heat of the oil. Allow chili oil to cool before storing.
- Add two star anise and a cinnamon stick to the container of oil to retain the lovely spice aroma of the oil.
- Store it at room temperature in an airtight jar with a tight fitting lid. Store it in a cool, dry place in your pantry.
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