Sichuan-style chili oil
This is a basic Sichuan-style chili oil that can be used in numerous applications. I always like to have a batch in the fridge as it can bring a little heat and sparkle to many dishes. It’s great for drizzling on dumplings, in soups, on meats, salads, noodles…..the list goes on. Making the chili oil takes a little work but you can easily make extra and it will last in the fridge for over a month.
Don’t mistake this for the very popular Laoganma-style chili crisp. This chili oil does not have the crunchy bits, sugar, MSG, and salt that you often find in chili crisp. That means that this chili oil is a bit more flexible because it will not influence the salt, sugar, and MSG levels of the recipes that you use it in.
Ingredients
This recipe calls for a specific type of oil called Caizi You (roasted rapeseed oil). This oil is often used in Sichuan cooking and has a very distinct toasty/nutty aroma and flavor. It also adds to the deep red color often associated with Sichuanese chili oils. You can certainly make this chili oil with another neutral-flavored oil such as peanut or canola, but if you can find Caizi You, I HIGHLY recommend using it. Caizi You can be purchased in many Chinese grocery stores and online.
I use two types of dried chilies in this recipe, heaven facing chili and Thai bird chili. Heaven facing chilies are much milder and make up a majority of the recipe. Thai bird chilies are extremely spicy and only a small quantity is added to increase the overall spiciness of the chili oil. You can omit the Thai chili if you would like the oil to be a bit milder.
If you can’t find these chilies, you can also substitute another combination of small dry red chilies (or just one type of chili). Try to keep in mind the overall spiciness of the finished oil when choosing which chilies to use. For example, using 100% Thai bird chili will yield a chili oil that is much too spicy.
Use to make:
Sichuan-style chili oil
Equipment
- Thermometer
- spice grinder or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 90 grams whole dried heaven facing chilies (about 4 cups of whole chilies)
- 5 grams whole dried thai bird chili (about 1/3 cup whole chilies)
- 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorn, green or red
- 6 grams white sesame seeds (about 1 Tbsp)
- 300 grams roasted rapeseed oil AKA caizi you (may also substitute with a neutral flavored cooking oil such as peanut or canola)
- 30 grams ginger, lightly crushed with side of knife and sliced
- 30 grams sliced onion or shallot
- 50 grams whole scallion, lightly crushed with side of knife and cut into 2 inch pieces (about 3 scallions)
- 1-2 grams whole cinnamon (about 1/2 stick)
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 whole star anise pod
- 2 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed to release aroma (optional, do not use green cardamom)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit
- Lay both dried chilies on a baking sheet and roast for 6-8 minute, until chilies become aromatic and darken in color. It is ok that the two types of chilies get mixed together. Allow chilies to cool.
- Break each chili open and shake out most of the seeds. Remove stems if they are present. Discard the seeds and stems.
- Take half of the cleaned chilies, combine with the 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns and grind into a fine powder. Set aside
- Take the other half of the dry chilies and grind into a coarser powder.
- Place the course chili powder into a metal heatproof bowl or pot and combine with the sesame seeds. Set this aside for later.
- Put the rapeseed oil into a medium-sized pot and heat up to 450 Fahrenheit. There should be plenty of extra space in the pot because the hot oil will bubble up when the aromatics are added. Oil should be smoking at this point.
- Turn off the heat, allow the oil to cool for a minute or two and then add the onions, scallion, ginger, cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise and bay leaves to the pot, all at once. Be careful, the oil will aggressively bubble up at first but will then subside.
- Once ingredients are in, turn heat back on to medium and allow aromatics to gently fry in the oil until they turn golden brown, about 8 minutes
- Strain the oil into another pot, pressing on the solids to extract as much oil as possible. Discard the solids.
- Bring the infused oil up to 400 Fahrenheit
- Very carefully pour approximately HALF of the hot oil over the coarse ground chili powder/sesame seed mix from earlier. The oil should sizzle and bubble as this is happening. Stir with a metal spoon.
- After about 1 minute, add the finely ground chili flakes (which contain the Sichuan pepper) to the bowl.
- Bring the rest of the oil back up to 400 Fahrenheit if it cooled down. Pour it over the finely ground chili in the same manner as before. Stir well.
- Allow oil to rest at room temperature until cool. Once cool, you may use the oil but it will get better after a day or two.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.