Hot Chili oil is a very simple and classic recipe. It’s aromatic and spicy taste is perfect for dipping meats or dumplings, kicking up the flavor of your favorite soups, and a key ingredient in a lot of Szechuan dishes.

Hot chili oil has been a staple in Chinese cuisine for hundreds of years. It has changed into many different versions as it has traveled across Asia throughout different countries all the way to Europe where it is widely used in Italian cuisine.

It is a very easy recipe to make by just following some key steps you can easily have restaurant quality hot oil on hand to wow your friends and step up your food game.

The basic process for making hot oil is infusing flavor into various cooking oils and steeping it over chili flakes.

For this recipe we will be using:

500 ml or about 2 cups of vegetable oil

500 ml or about 2 cups chili flakes

4 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

6 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns

10 star anise

8 cloves garlic

about 1 inch piece of ginger cut into slices

2 bunches of spring onion bulbs.

Using spring onion bulbs in this recipe is a great way to use up parts of the onion that might otherwise be thrown out.

Start by heating 500 ml or about 2 cups of oil vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium heat. For best results use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. you will want to heat the oil to between 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit or 100- 120 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have a candy thermometer and want to wing it that is OK too, just make sure you keep an eye on the oil so you don’t burn the ingredients and ruin the flavor of the oil. An easy way to check if the oil is hot is by dropping a piece of spring onion in to see if it starts sizzling. Once at the right temperature, add all the ingredients except the hot pepper flakes.

 

Simmer the oil on mid to low heat for at least half an hour, watching that it doesn’t burn. Over time the oil will be infused with all the flavours of the ingredients and take on the mouth-numbing feel from the Sichuan peppercorns.

While the pot is simmering, put your red pepper flakes into another pot or heat resistant bowl. 

Now that you have simmered the oil for half an hour, take it off the heat and let it cool for 5 min. When cooled, pour the oil through a wire mesh strainer over the pot of chilies and stir well.

Now stir your chili oil and make sure that it is not burning then let cool and your chili oil is ready to enjoy. You can store you chili oil however way you like, if canned and sealed it will last for up to two years. If open it will last two years in a refrigerator or about a year in your cupboard.

Try it out with lots of different dishes like Dan Dan noodles, Mapo Tofu, or even add a boost of of flavor to spaghetti night.

Hope you found this recipe helpful and until the next one remember to keep it simple, but full of love

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