sichuan chili oil
One of my first batches
Sources
- Chinese Cooking Demystified | Sichuan Food Like the Restaurants
- Chinese Cooking Demystified | Sichuan Chili Oil: the Complete Guide
- Chef Wang 美食作家王刚 | 厨师长教你：“香辣红油”的正宗做法，凉菜好伙伴，你值得拥有 Spicy Chilli Oil （高清重置版）
Safety
- Never leave hot oil unattended - it goes from hot to smoking to fire faster than you expect
- Wear closed shoes and long sleeves - hot oil splashes travel
- Keep water away from hot oil - a single drop turns to steam explosively
- Use only metal or heatproof bowls - oil at 190°C shatters glass and melts plastic
- Have a metal lid within reach - if oil catches fire, slide the lid over the wok; never throw water
- Work in a clear, uncluttered area - nothing worse than bumping into something holding 200ml of smoking oil
- Keep children and pets out of the kitchen
- Warm your chili bowl before the first pour - a cold metal bowl absorbs heat and drops oil temperature too fast
- Don't overfill the chili bowl - the first pour bubbles up vigorously
Ingredients
There is a really good online store to source chilies and oil - sichuanshop.nl. Not sponsored, just a personal favorite.
Chilies (total 40g)
- Erjingtiao - 24g (fragrant, aroma & color)
- Zidantou - 12g (body)
- Xiaomila - 4g (hot)
Oil
- 200ml caiziyou (roasted rapeseed oil), traditional; or mustard seed oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, or peanut oil
Aromatics
- ¼ onion, finely sliced
- ~2 spring onions, chopped
- ~2.5cm ginger, smashed
Spices
Wet with a splash of baijiu or vodka before use to prevent scorching
- 1 star anise
- ¼ tsp fennel seed
- 1g sand ginger (1 slice)
- 1¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 dried bay leaf
- Small piece tsaoko (black cardamom), peel only
- Tiny piece cinnamon stick (or skip)
Other
- 1½ tsp sesame seeds
Method
- Slice chilies into 1–2cm sections, discard stems. For Zidantou, also discard most of the seeds. Fry in 1 tsp oil until brittle (2–6 min). Pound into fine flakes (sesame seed size) - a blender works too. Mix with sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
- Wet the spices with a splash of baijiu or vodka. Let them sit while you prep.
- In a wok, add 200ml oil, onion, spring onions, ginger. Fry over medium heat ~6 min.
- Add the vodka-soaked spices to the oil. Cook until onions are golden brown, ~6 min more.
- Strain oil through a sieve, return to wok.
- Heat oil past smoking (~190°C). Shut off the heat.
- Ladle ⅓ of the oil (65ml) into the chili/sesame bowl, stir vigorously (flash fry).
- When oil cools to ~150°C, add another ⅓ (65ml), stir.
- When oil cools to 80°C, add the rest (70ml), stir.
- Cover, rest 24–48 hours. Store in a jar. Use the oil for cooking, the sediment for sauces and dips.