If you like to spice up a wide variety of your favorite foods, drizzling on a splash of Sichuan-style garlic chili oil – and it's easy to make at home to suit your personal tastes. It requires only a few ingredients from your favorite Asian market, and you're ready to go. The foundation is a neutral flavor vegetable oil with a high smoke point. Also, there are oils to avoid, and they include olive and unrefined sesame oil because both have distinct flavors and lower smoke points. Soybean or peanut oil are the typical choices in China, but it's also fine to use canola, grapeseed, or rice bran oil – whichever one you prefer.
Once you've decided on your base oil, the next significant consideration is your chili peppers. The most authentic choices are Jing Tao and Chao Tian Jiao, but if you can't find them quickly, you can substitute with Gochugaru from Korea. It has a rich red color and excellent chili flavor. If you want more heat, you can add additional ingredients such as cayenne pepper or arbol chilis. It's a matter of personal taste, and some people may add Aleppo chilis; there are thousands of others being cultivated and widely available. Over time you also may change your tastes and preferences about which ones to add.
Excellent hot chili oil also contains aromatics like garlic, ginger, scallions, shallots, and onions. They're all options, and the benefit of making your oil at home is the ability to use the ones you enjoy most. Don't overlook herbs like ginseng and even shitake mushrooms. Spice up your own with a good Sichuan pepper, and many people like to add Chinese five-spice that includes cloves, cassia, and star anise. Use ground spices because they more quickly infuse the oil with their flavor. If you grind your own Sichuan pepper, you'll have a clearer taste because pre-ground can often lose its flavor before use.
Adding seasonings to your homemade hot chili oil is one way to personalize it. You'll also want to decide on how you'll use it, and sounds good to add. A couple of thoughts are adding a hint of soy sauce and salt. Start small and add more to taste. If you continue making your oil, you can evolve the ingredients over time as you see what you like the most. Some chefs recommend adding dried scallops, but if you want to stay plant-based with your ingredients, you can add shitake mushroom powder as an alternative. It's a great technique to heat the oil and pour it over the ingredients to coax out their flavor.
Sign in to leave a comment.