Today I’d like I share with you a Chinese chili oil recipe that will taste good with anything! It’s super easy and quick. I’m sure that you will enjoy it!
Chinese Chili Oil Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup dried red chili peppers
1/3 cup dried lantern chili peppers
¼ cup paprika powder
3 tablespoons white toasted sesame
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rice wine, separated
1 tablespoon red Sichuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon green Sichuan peppercorns
1 piece cinnamon
1 black cardamom (cao guo)
1 star anise
1 slice Chinese licorice root (gan cao)
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
¼ piece dried tangerine peel
3 slices ginger
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups extra light olive oil
3 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
Instructions
- Rinsed and dried all the spices and chilies.
- To grind the chili peppers, in a grinder, add the dried red chili peppers and lantern chili peppers. (We use 2 types of chili peppers because they are different in taste. The lantern chili peppers are more aromatic.) Grind until they become powder.
- Transfer the chili power to a bowl. Add the paprika powder in it. (Traditionally, Chinese don’t use paprika, but it is going to add a beautiful red shade to the chili oil.) Also, add in the toasted sesame and salt. Whisk. Set aside.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of rice wine in the red Sichuan peppercorns. (To prevent the peppercorns from getting burns.) (Red Sichuan peppercorns are known for its amazing aroma)
- Add another 1/2 teaspoon of rice wine in the green Sichuan peppercorns. (Also to prevent the peppercorns from getting burns.) (We use two types of peppercorns because the green ones are more numbing than the red ones.)
- In another bowl, we are going to mix in all the spices and herbs: cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise, Chinese licorice root, cloves, bay leaves, dried tangerine peel, the Sichuan peppercorns that were mixed in the rice wine, ginger, and garlic.
- In a wok, over lowest heat, pour in the extra light olive oil. Heat it up for about 1 minute until the oil is 180 degrees F / 82 degrees C. (Traditionally, Sichuan people use rapeseed oil for chili oil, but I prefer extra light olive oil. Extra light olive is light in taste and has a smoking point of about 465 degrees F / 241 degrees C. You can also use other high smoking point oil for this recipe.)
- Transfer in all the spices and herbs. Cook about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let it soak for another 20 minutes. Remove all the spices and herbs.
- Over high heat, continue to heat up the oil until smoking hot. Turn off the heat. Let it cool for about 3 minutes.
- Pour half of the oil in the chili pepper mixture. Whisk immediately. Then pour the rest of the oil in it. Whisk. Lastly, pour in Chinkiang vinegar to prevent the chili peppers from burning. (Because the oil is still very oil, the vinegar will evaporate immediately.
