Quick & Easy Chinese Chili Oil
Spicy, delicious, homemade chili oil infused with red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, onion and fragrant aromatics! This quick, easy and simple Chinese chili oil is all-natural, cheaper and better than store-bought. A great sauce to spice things up!
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole dried Sichuan red chilies or 1.5 cups / 360 g Sichuan or Korean red chili flakes & skip Step 1
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 ½ cups vegetable oil or neutral tasting oil
- ¼ teaspoon Sichuan pepper powder
- 3 teaspoon salt
- 4 slices ginger
- 1 small onion quartered, or 1 shallot halved
- 4 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cloves
Instructions
- Add dried red chilis into a food processor and grind on HIGH speed until they become small flakes.
- Transfer the chili flakes into a large heat-proof bowl (made of steel, ceramic or heat-resistant glass) and avoid inhaling the spice. To the same bowl, add minced garlic, Sichuan pepper powder and salt. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or wok on low-medium heat, around 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Or insert a wooden utensil into the hot oil and look for bubbles.
- Carefully lower in the ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves into the hot oil. Simmer on for at least 20-25 minutes for best fragrance. Stir occasionally.
- Remove the aromatics from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and discard them.
- Very carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the red chili flakes and let it bubble. Then stir the flakes with the oil to prevent the flakes from overcooking or burning.
- Let the chili oil cool down and transfer to a sterilized glass air-tight jar. Store the sealed jar of chili oil in the fridge for up to 6 months, label with an expiration date and aim to use it within this time frame. Always use clean utensils when scooping chili oil from the jar to prevent contamination.*See below for other Storage info, Jar-Sterilization instructions and Signs of Expired Chili Oil
Notes
Storage
- Homemade chili oil will last up to 6 months in the fridge stored in a sterilized glass airtight jar (see instructions below for sterilizing) with 0.5-inch headroom and labeled with the expiration date. Make sure to always use a clean dry spoon and never add water or fresh ingredients to it to prevent contamination.
- Freezer-friendly? Chili oil can also be frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer. To freeze: let the chili oil cool down completely, then pour it into a double bagged freezer-safe bag and label with the expiration date. To enjoy, defrost it in the fridge until it's no longer solid.
- Do not store chili oil at room temperature since our version contains raw garlic, which needs to be stored in a cold dry place like the fridge.
How to Sterilize a Glass Jar
A simple way to sterilize a glass jar is to:- Thoroughly wash a glass jar and the lid with soap and warm water.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on medium-high heat.
- Carefully lower cleaned glass jars only with tongs in a single layer. Do not pile them on top of each other.
- Reduce to low-heat and boil for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars from the hot boiling water with tongs to air dry.
- To sterilize the lids, boil them for 10 minutes the same way you did for the glass jars in a separate pot.
Signs of Expired Chili Oil
The below are signs when chili oil is no longer safe to consume and it should be discarded:- looks spoiled
- has mold
- looks murky at room temperature (in the fridge, it is normal for it to look opaque and solid)
- tastes rancid
- has a off-putting smell
- the lid is bulging out and expels air when you lift it off
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Suggested Equipment & Products
- Resealable Jar *To sterilize, see Notes section for instructions
Nutrition
Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 7012mg | Potassium: 2076mg | Fiber: 30g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 4mg