Easy Chilli Oil
My most used condiment of all time is chilli oil. It goes on practically everything I eat, aside from dessert of course. Ever since making my own, I've stopped buying other chilli oils because nothing can compare to making your own, as you can easily adjust the flavour profile to suit your taste and spice preference. Not to mention, it’s also way cheaper and more economically viable too, especially in this economy!
Note: please take care when handling hot oils, use heatproof cookware where necessary.
Storage: keep out of direct sunlight and up to 3 months. Refrigerate to extend the shelf life.
Ingredients
Makes a ~500ml jar
- 350ml (~1.5cup) neutral cooking oil
- 1-2 heads of garlic, thinly sliced
- 50g your favourite chilli flakes. I use either gochugaru or one from the Chinese supermarket
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3-4 slices of fresh ginger
- 1 cassia cinnamon stick. This is different to cinnamon used in baking
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp msg, or some chicken bouillon (optional, but would recommend)
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (optional)
Pair it with
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Instructions
- Prep the garlic and shallots with a mandolin. Keeping them same thickness makes it cook more evenly.
- Prep the spices, and on a separate plate the chillies. Chinese dried chillies are not actually that spicy but have a really good fragrance and colour.
- Add oil to a pot and add the garlic and shallots to fry until golden on a medium heat. It will take several minutes before it starts changing colour but once it does it will burn quickly so keep watching the pot. Strain the oil into a smaller pot and drain the fried shallots and garlic on some kitchen towel for later.
- To that strained oil, add the ginger and cinnamon stick and let that sizzle for 3-4 minutes until gently bubbling.
- While that’s happening, put the flakes into a heatproof bowl or another pot. Add the salt, sugar, msg and vinegar (if you have it) along with the sesame seeds. Mix it all together.
- Turn the heat off the infused oil and rest for a few minutes to slightly cool and remove the sliced ginger and cinnamon stick. If you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should be around 180ºC/360ºF. Carefully pour the infused hot oil over the chilli blend. This will make it all sizzle and cooks the chilli in the bowl. Give it a thorough stir.
- Roughly crush up the crispy shallots and garlic and add it back in to the chilli oil mix. Once it's cooled, give it a taste and season with more salt if necessary.
- The flavours will deepen over time so it's best to enjoy after 24 hours. You can keep this for up to 3 months in a cool place away from sunlight. Stir each time before serving. Enjoy!
Video demonstration
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