This crispy hot chili oil, is a beautifully balanced condiment made with garlic, onions, Szechuan peppers and red chilies. It is incredibly easy to make and a great way to enhance flavours of any dish! A must have sauce for people who love all things spicy!
Everyone has a bottle of chili oil or sauce in their cupboard. Some are spicier than others, while some have less heat but more flavour - it all depends on what you like!
This chili and garlic oil has it all - a warm heat with a deep, complex flavour that develops over time, but not too spicy, and has these little crispy crunchy bits that are so addictive!!
If you have never tried crispy chili oil before, then you are in for a treat! I show you step by step below, how you can make this magical sauce at home!
This chili and garlic oil will transform any dish from good to great! Think ramen soup, stir fry's, noodles, yum!
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WHY MAKE YOUR OWN CHILI OIL?
There are many benefits of making your own chili oil, here are some:
- you can decide how hot/spicy the oil will be
- homemade tastes better
- it can be made in batches and stored for a long time
- homemade chili oil gets better with time
- free of preservatives and additives
WHAT ARE SZECHUAN PEPPERS?
Szechuan pepper also known as Sichuan pepper or prickly ash is a spice used in Chinese cooking. It comes from the Chinese Sichuan region and is known for it's mouth numbing sensation and it's warm pleasant spice level with citrusy tones.
INGREDIENTS
Szechuan pepper can be purchased in local Asian grocery stores or online. They are sold dry however a vibrant colour is an indicator that they are fresh.
Red chilies fresh red chilies of your choice. I use red chili peppers but you can substitute with bird eye chilies for more heat or go for dried chilies instead.
Onion & Garlic slowly cooked in the oil, add texture to the sauce and gives it a beautiful fermented flavour.
Ginger fresh ginger adds a pungent aroma, it can be substituted with ginger powder.
Five Spice Powder is available in stores in the form of a powder. It consists of cinnamon, fennel, star anise, peppercorn and cloves.
Soy Sauce to season the sauce and add depth.
Sesame oil and Canola oil sesame oil is used in the end to flavour the chili oil. Canola oil is used for cooking and can be replaced with any other neutral oil.
HOW TO MAKE CHILI OIL
The recipe will make about 400ml (1¾ cups) of roasted hot chili oil but you can adjust to make larger quantities. If you have made a bigger batch, you can store the oil in jars for many weeks.
grinding the szechuan peppers
To make the chili oil, start by grinding the Szechuan pepper with a mortar and pestle. You want the the peppercorns to be crushed but not ground to a powder (grind less than a minute)
preparing the vegetables
Next, prepare the vegetables. Peel and slice the onions, garlic and ginger.
Wash and cut the chilies in thumb large slices.
making the roasted chili oil
Once you have prepared all the ingredients, combine them in a wide pan and add the oil, crushed Szechuan pepper and five spice powder.
Cook over slow heat until the onion and garlic start browning and only then add the soy sauce and sesame oil.
The oil should be lightly bubbling when frying but make sure the onion and garlic don't get burnt otherwise the sauce will be bitter. This process will take about 12-15 minutes.
When the time is up, remove the pan from the heat.
mixing the chili oil
We aren't done yet! Place all the ingredients in a food processor with a pinch of sea salt.
Mix for 1-2 minutes. The idea is to have the ingredients still a bit chunky.
Taste the chili and garlic oil - is it hot? Does it need more salt? Just remember the heat develops over time so be mindful when adjusting the flavour.
FAQ's
This chili oil is not the spiciest that you would have had, but it does has a nice kick. If you want yours to be really hot, add bird eye chilies. But beware, it will be next level spicy!
Store the oil in a sterilised, airtight container, a clip jar works best. Store in a cool place away from light.
Stored correctly, chili oil will last for up to 3 months. Keep in mind chili oil gets better with time, hence making a large batch is not a bad idea.
The oil will become rancid and smell bad. Worse case scenario, mould will build up on the top.
WHAT ARE OTHER VARIATIONS
Everyone has their preferences but there are certainly many more ingredients you can add to the chili oil afterwards.
Some ideas:
- sesame seeds
- chopped spring onions (scallions)
- dried chili flakes
- crispy shallots
- vinegar
WHAT TO SERVE IT WITH
This crispy hot chili and garlic oil is one of those condiments, that you will place on the table with almost every meal. A dish we have to eat this chili oil with, are dumplings!
We eat dumplings almost every other week, so we are glad we found this perfect dipping sauce to enjoy them with!
More ideas:
- with this Hainanese chicken feast
- to spice up any baked fish, like this baked barramundi
- on any pasta dishes, we love it on our casarecce pasta dish
It is safe to say, we are head over heels for this sauce and just can’t get enough of it! This is a recipe you need to print and keep in your recipe collection because once you try it, you’ll never want to be without it again!! Watch how it's made here.
I only wish I had tried to make this recipe earlier as there is nothing better than homemade condiments .
So, when you give this recipe a go, I would love to know what you thought of it! Meanwhile, I am off to make another batch!
Crispy Hot Chili and Garlic Oil
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
- small frying pan
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 red chilies
- 1 small brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoon szechuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 300 ml canola oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Grind the szechuan peppers with a mortar and pestle. You want the the peppercorns to be crushed, not turned into a powder form! Grinding less than a minute should be enough.
- Next, peel and cut the onion, garlic and ginger into slices. Wash and cut the chilies into larger slices.
- Combine the szechuan pepper, chili pepper, onion, garlic and ginger in a wide pan and add the oil and five spice powder. Cook over slow heat until the onion and garlic start browning. The oil should be lightly bubbling but make sure the onion and garlic don't get burnt otherwise the sauce will be bitter.
- Add the soya sauce and sesame oil
- Cook for about 12-15 minutes until all the ingredients have browned enough. Remove from the heat.
- Place all the cooked ingredients in a food processor with a pinch of sea salt. Mix for 1-2 minutes. Keep the chili oil chunky while blitzing to get a crunchy texture.
- Adjust the seasoning if needed with salt or soy sauce and serve with your favourite dish
Steve
Love this recipe