Basic Chili Oil Recipe: How to make 辣椒油

A Basic Chili Oil, or 辣椒油, is an essential pantry item for serious cooks of Asian cuisine- Here is how to make it using the simplest recipe.

I always tend to favor the type of Chinese restaurant that have little jars of Chili Oil, complete with flakes, sitting on the table for using on dumplings, or whatever else you like. Some of these preparations can be quite complex, with Sichuan Peppercorns, Star Anise, or other aromatics being added, but a Basic Chili Oil contains little other than just Oil and dried Red Chili and can easily be made at home for use at the table, or as an ingredient in other dishes.

Ingredient Notes for a 辣椒油

You will see in the ingredient list in the recipe card below that this recipe goes ever so slightly beyond the most basic form. The ingredients are optional, but I find that just a pinch of salt and sugar improves the final product very nicely.

For oil, you should select one that is generally neutral in flavor, and with a high smoke-point. A simple vegetable oil will probably do you, but, here, I am using a refined peanut oil.

How to make a Basic Chili Oil

Mix together the chili, salt and sugar in a sturdy glass jar (or a Pyrex measuring cup, if you like). The method we use here is to add hot oil to the chili and you want to make sure that your container can take the heat (and the sudden temperature change). Many recipes have you add the chili (and other flavorings) to a pan of oil and then bring it to a high heat. This works, but the chances or overcooking the chili (and producing a nasty bitter result) is much higher than my method.

Heat your oil in a saucepan over moderate to high heat until the surface begins to ripple and you can see faint shadows produced by the heat currents on the bottom of the pan. Basically, you want the oil to be heated to just a little bit below its smoking point.

Once this is done, pour about one half of it very carefully into your container with the dry ingredients. As you do so, you will see the flakes of chili get caught up in a bubbling froth at the top of the oil. After this subsides (in about twenty seconds or so), pour in the rest of the oil.

Now, all you need do is let the oil cool. As it does, you will see that it turns a nice reddish-mahogany color from the chili, and the flakes will start to slowly sink. Eventually, almost all the flakes will be at the bottom and, if you like, you can transfer all, or some of the oil (and flakes) to smaller, more decorative jars for table service. You can also strain away all the remaining flakes and just retain the spicy oil, if that suits you (and this is probably preferable if you are mostly using your 辣椒油 as a cooking ingredient), but for a table condiment, or a more complex dipping sauce ingredient, leaving the flakes at the bottom of the jar is much better.

Using Basic Chili Oil as a Condiment and an Ingredient

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Basic Chili Oil Recipe

A Basic Chili Oil is good to have on hand, both as a table condiment, and a cookery ingredient. You can buy it, of course, but it is easy to make at home.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Steeping Time1 d

Course: Condiment, Spice Blend

Cuisine: General

Keyword: Chili, Oil, Salt, Sugar

Servings: 2 Cups

Author: John Thompson

Ingredients

• 2 Cups cooking Oil;
• ½ Cup dried Chili Flakes;
• 1 pinch each of Salt and Sugar

Instructions

• Mix together the chili, salt and sugar in a sturdy glass jar.
• Heat the Oil in a pan to just below the smoking point.
• Pour about one half of the oil very carefully into your container with the dry ingredients.
• When the initial bubbling and frothing subsides, pour in the remaining oil.
• Allow to cool and cover for storage.
• If desired, the oil may be strained after steeping for a day or so.