Look, this platform is quickly turning into "Things that were en vogue 1-2 years ago, revisited and published so late that nobody really cares". Chili oil (and any flavored oil) is amazingly simple to make; you essentially steep chili flakes and aromatics in hot oil and jar it up.
Each province of China has its own preferences for chili oils in preparation, texture, level of heat, and aromatic qualities. Chili oil from Sichuan China is the most accessible to us Westerners in terms of its preparation, in levels of heat (it won’t blow your head off like one from Guizhou or even Hunan), but is distinguishable enough from any standard chili oil you’ll find at a local grocery store with the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. You won’t even have to worry about the scarcity of finding Lao Gan Ma chili oil, because you’ll have it right in your home.
You probably already know that chili oil is perfect addition to any stirfry you might make, as a slightly crisp topping for your normal Sunday brunch routine, and will also make a great gift if you make it in bulk. Experiment with the chili flakes (and oil too, if that's your dig) that you can find and cater to your tastes and tolerance. Shopping List:
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Hardware:
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Prep:
If you wanted to be LEGIT, you’d source whole dried chilies from your Asian grocery store of choice and grind them in a mortar and pestle, but I’m assuming that if you’re already doing that, you probably don’t need a guide on how to make your own chili oil.
Otherwise, there isn’t much prep. Get your heat resistant bowl on the trivet, place the chili flakes into it, and make sure your spices are good to go.
The Business:
In the small sauce pot, gently heat your oil to 250 deg F. What you’re doing is allowing the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon to steep at a lower temperature, as to not burn and make your oil taste like…burned spices (these are much more volatile than the chili flakes, but they still hold fat soluble flavor compounds that you want to extract). Monitor these aromatics carefully, watching for the Sichuan peppercorns to turn to a dark deep red (but not black), then turn off the heat (this should take 20-30 minutes at 250 deg F). A note from some recipe testers: the bubbling is very subtle, and your spices may not darken all that much, but use your nose to tell if they are prominently aromatic (nose should be tinge-y). Feel free to increase the temperature if you feel like nothing is happening, but try to not go above 340 deg F at the highest. Your spices will burn above this.
Once the spices have steeped, get ready to pour the oil over the chili flakes. It will bubble violently and sizzle as you might expect, and it will creep up the sides of your bowl (this is why you have a much larger bowl than would normally hold 1.5 c. of oil normally). Don’t be alarmed. I mean, DO be alarmed if you spill it everywhere and start a grease fire, but you wouldn’t do that, would you?
Fish the Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise out of the hot oil now, or you can just use the fine mesh sieve to pour the oil through. Whichever floats your chili-laden boat. You can save the cinnamon stick and star anise to keep in the jar, but I always discard the Sichuan peppercorns.
Carefully (and slowly) pour the oil over your chilies and MSG. Give the bowl a stir, and let it cool down to room temperature. This MIGHT take a bit, so go to the gym or something.
Once cool, transfer to a wide-mouth canning jar of your preference (trust me, a narrow opening is NOT what you want here). If you’re looking to amp up the numbing sensation in your chili oil, very lightly toast 2 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until just fragrant, and grind in a small spice grinder. Add these at the very end once the oil has cooled.
I’m not even going to speculate how long this will last at room temperature (millenia, I assume, in theory). It will get devoured, though, so don't worry.
Enjoy!
If you wanted to be LEGIT, you’d source whole dried chilies from your Asian grocery store of choice and grind them in a mortar and pestle, but I’m assuming that if you’re already doing that, you probably don’t need a guide on how to make your own chili oil.
Otherwise, there isn’t much prep. Get your heat resistant bowl on the trivet, place the chili flakes into it, and make sure your spices are good to go.
The Business:
In the small sauce pot, gently heat your oil to 250 deg F. What you’re doing is allowing the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon to steep at a lower temperature, as to not burn and make your oil taste like…burned spices (these are much more volatile than the chili flakes, but they still hold fat soluble flavor compounds that you want to extract). Monitor these aromatics carefully, watching for the Sichuan peppercorns to turn to a dark deep red (but not black), then turn off the heat (this should take 20-30 minutes at 250 deg F). A note from some recipe testers: the bubbling is very subtle, and your spices may not darken all that much, but use your nose to tell if they are prominently aromatic (nose should be tinge-y). Feel free to increase the temperature if you feel like nothing is happening, but try to not go above 340 deg F at the highest. Your spices will burn above this.
Once the spices have steeped, get ready to pour the oil over the chili flakes. It will bubble violently and sizzle as you might expect, and it will creep up the sides of your bowl (this is why you have a much larger bowl than would normally hold 1.5 c. of oil normally). Don’t be alarmed. I mean, DO be alarmed if you spill it everywhere and start a grease fire, but you wouldn’t do that, would you?
Fish the Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise out of the hot oil now, or you can just use the fine mesh sieve to pour the oil through. Whichever floats your chili-laden boat. You can save the cinnamon stick and star anise to keep in the jar, but I always discard the Sichuan peppercorns.
Carefully (and slowly) pour the oil over your chilies and MSG. Give the bowl a stir, and let it cool down to room temperature. This MIGHT take a bit, so go to the gym or something.
Once cool, transfer to a wide-mouth canning jar of your preference (trust me, a narrow opening is NOT what you want here). If you’re looking to amp up the numbing sensation in your chili oil, very lightly toast 2 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until just fragrant, and grind in a small spice grinder. Add these at the very end once the oil has cooled.
I’m not even going to speculate how long this will last at room temperature (millenia, I assume, in theory). It will get devoured, though, so don't worry.
Enjoy!