CHILI OIL
An absolute MUST HAVE in Asian cuisine is chili oil. You can buy it in countless variations in any Asian supermarket. From chili oil with garlic to chili oil with fermented beans, there is just about every variation you can imagine. But you can also make your very own chili oil at home and design your very own creations. All you need is:
Oil (we like to use oil, that is specifically made for frying and therefore can be heated to a very high temperature)
Chili flakes
Chili powder
Sesame seeds
You will also need some spices to flavor your oil, which you can find in most supermarkets or certainly in your favorite Asian supermarket. In this recipe we use:
cinnamon sticks
star anise
ginger
bay leaves
cloves
Szechuan peppercorns
As already mentioned, the spices are placed in the hot oil and deep-fried there for a few minutes to give the oil its flavor. Afterwards, the spices are carefully fished out of the hot oil with the help of a slotted spoon. Be careful though, the oil is very hot, so don’t burn yourself! The oil is then heated again (to about 165 °C). If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, you can simply use a wooden stick (we normally use a chopstick) to see if you reached the right temperature. To do this, hold the wooden stick in the oil. When many small bubbles form around the stick, the oil is ready.
Now pour the hot oil over the chili flakes that you have mixed beforehand with the sesame seeds and chili powder. Be careful, the oil bubbles and is REALLY hot, so watch out!
Finally, you can stir in your 'special somethings' that make your oil extra delicious. Chopped (salted) peanuts, fermented beans, garlic granules or spices, the possibilities are endless. In this very simple recipe, we use
Chinese 5 spice powder
You can also buy this spice in most Asian supermarkets, or you can easily mix it up yourself at home. Here is our recipe:
6 whole star anise
1 ½ teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1) Roast the spices in a pan until they begin to smell fragrant. Then put everything into a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and grind to a fine powder. Put it in an airtight jar and that’s it. It's as easy as that to make your own 5-spice powder.
2) Fill your finished chili oil into an airtight jar and put it in the fridge. It will keep there for up to 5 months. We love to use it for our soba noodles and for any other Asian dishes really, no matter if for sautéing or in sauces and marinades, the chili oil works great with everything and tastes absolutely delicious! Just try it out and let us know what you think.
Enjoy!
CHILI OIL
Zutaten
- 50g chili flakes
- 15g chili powder
- 20g sesame seeds
- 220ml oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 pc star anis
- 25g ginger (sliced)
- 3 bay leaves
- 5g cloves (whole)
- 3g Szechuan peppercorns
- ½ tsp Chinese 13 spice or 5 spice powder
Zubereitung
- In a bowl, mix chili flakes, chili powder and sesame seeds.
- Now put the oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the ginger and cinnamon stick and fry in the oil for 3 minutes.
- Next add the star anise, bay leaves and cloves to the oil. Heat everything in the oil for another 2 minutes. Add the Szechuan peppercorns and turn off the heat.
- Fish out all the things until only the clear oil remains. Heat the oil again until it reaches 165 °C/ 330 F. If you don't have a thermometer, you can simply use a wooden (chop)stick to see if the temperature is right. To do this, stick the wooden (chop)stick into the oil. When many small bubbles form around the stick, the oil is ready.
- Now pour the hot oil over the chili flake mix and stir gently with a spoon. (CAUTION! the oil is very hot).
- Finally, if you like, stir in the Chinese 13 spice powder to make the oil extra flavorful.
- You can now put the finished oil into an airtight jar and store it in the fridge for several months. We mainly use it when we cook Asian food, for sautéing, for sauces or as a topping. Enjoy!
Hi, we’re Marie and Michael, two foodies living and studying in Vienna!
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