Chili Oil

Published Date
August 7th 2022
From its inception to publication, this recipe underwent meticulous research, writing, review and testing which was the collective efforts of at least five individuals. This rigorous process spans a minimum of three months. We kindly invite you to share your feedback using the comment form located at the bottom of this page. 😇
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Adding Chili Oil to your dishes can elevate them to a new level adding a burst of aromatics, spice, and flavor. The benefits of making homemade chili oil are you can play around with different infusions and types of Chiles you use and control the amount of heat, resulting anywhere from burning hot to mild, depending on your preferences. 

There are wide varieties of chili peppers in the world. To list a few, the mildest Anaheim Chili provides a touch of smoke and spice. The Cascabel Chili is gentle and used in the Mexican chili oil sauce for the ever-trending Birria tacos. Ancho Chilies have medium spice and are used in making Adobo sauce. Chipotle peppers have spicy and smoky flavors. Everyone loves an excellent chipotle ranch dressing. Bird's eye chilies should be used sparingly, as these are one of the hottest and used in Asian cuisine, especially Thai dishes. Korean red chilies are spicy and used to make the famous Korean dish Gochugaru. Finally, the last one is used for this chili oil Sichuan chilies. They look similar to Italian chili flakes but are smaller, providing a richer flavor and a deep red color for chili oil. 

We're using a Chinese-style chili oil recipe by infusing star anise, cloves, shallots, and garlic into neutral vegetable oil, then pouring the hot bubbling oil over the Sichuan chili flakes adding toasted sesame oil, salt, and sesame seeds to the finished chili oil. Toss this oil with your favorite noodle dish, add it to fried rice or stir-fry or use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings.

It keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 months and gets better with age. So soon, you'll add your favorite chili oil infusion to everything you can get your hands on.  

What is chili oil good for?

Chili oil can be added to almost any dish, including mixed into rice, as a dipping sauce, or to soups and stews. 

Is chili oil very spicy?

The benefit of making homemade chili oil is that you can control the heat by using mild or extremely hot Chiles. Adjust this to your preferences. 

Do you refrigerate chili oil?

Chili oils containing fresh ingredients such as shallots or garlic directly inside the oil should be refrigerated. Infused oils containing only dried ingredients can be left outside the fridge in airtight jars. However, over time, oil jars that are not sealed will get rancid and have an unpleasant taste. To guarantee your chili oil stays fresh, it's a good idea to keep it stored in the fridge. 

Is chili oil good for your heart?

As with any oils, they contain a high amount of fat. However, by using vegetable oil, you have the added health benefits that these oils don't contain cholesterol. Like anything in life, use chili oil in moderation and consume a healthy balanced diet. 

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Author: Jennifer Dodd
Rate
Average: 5 (1 vote)
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Serves
2 persons

Ingredients

Instructions

Add the shallots, garlic, star anise, cloves and oil to a heavy bottom medium pot. Setting the temperature to medium low heat. 
Overview of a pot containing oil and aromatics
Let the oil infuse for 20 minutes. If the shallots and garlic get too dark in the process, remove them, making your oil bitter. Add the Sichuan chili flakes to large stainless steel or thick glass bowl. You don't want to use plastic bowls or utensils as the oil will be very hot & you'll watch the plastic melt away. 
Overview of a bowl of with chili flakes inside
Place a strainer over the bowl containing the chili flakes and carefully pour the oil through the strainer onto the chili flakes. 
Oil being strained into a bowl of chili peppers
Discard the aromatics and stir the chili oil using a wooden spoon until the bubbling has stopped. 
Arial view of a bowl of chili oil being stirred with a wood spoon.
Stir in the sesame seeds, oil, and salt, and let the chili oil cool down to room temperature. 
Sesame seeds and oil being stirred into chili oil
Pour into a glass storage container and have fun adding your homemade chili oil to all your dishes. 
Overview of chili oil in a glass jar
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Keywords
chili oil, recipe, hot, crunchy, garlic, homemade, fried, best

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