Dish of Chili Oil with Sedement

Chili Oil


China - Sichuan   -   Hong You
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 12 oz
*
1 day
Best		 This is an important item in Sichuan cuisine. it is best made at home because purchased chili oil is usually too hot, and it lacks sediment, also used in recipes. With this recipe you can use enough for flavor before your recipe gets too hot.

1
2
1/2
1/4
c
oz
t
in
Oil (1)
Chili Flake (2)
Sesame Seeds  
Ginger Root
Make   -   (40 min - 10 min work)
  1. Cut 1/4 inch slice of Ginger Root and crush it moderately. Mix it with Chili Flake and Sesame Seeds. in a heatproof bowl or pan.
  2. Heat Oil to about 400°F/200°C and let it cool down until 290°F/143°C. This temperature is quite critical.
  3. Pour the hot Oil over the Chili mix. If the temperature is right, it should sizzle well, but not burn. Too cool can be corrected by heating the mixture just until the chili is bubbling, about 250°F/120°C for a minute or so. Burned chili cannot be fixed.
  4. Let cool completely and store both oil and the sediment in a jar, kept in a cool place away from sunlight. It should be let settle for a day before use, if possible.
NOTES:

  1. Oil

      My choice is Olive Pomace, which is quite neutral in flavor and quite resistant to rancidity. Pure Olive Oil would work, but definitely not Virgin. Avocado Oil would work, but has a somewhat buttery taste. Most vegetable oils, including Canola, go rancid very quickly, especially when heated, so they are not suitable for an item that may not be all used immediately. For details see our Cooking Oils page.

  2. Chili Flake:

      In Sichuan, Erjingtiao Chilis would be used, but they are not yet much available in North America. A fine Korean flake will have about the right hotness but less flavor. Korean flake can be found in any Korean market, but it does vary quite a bit in hotness. If it comes out too hot, add more oil. For details see our Chinese Chilis and Korean / Japanese Chilis pages.

  3. Other Chilis:

      I have made this successfully using Chilis Negro, which I ground myself, and which probably give a result closer to Erjingtiao Chilis than the Korean Flake. I have also made it with Chili Guajillo, which gave an oil of good flavor and moderate hotness. I consider it quite suitable for this recipe. For details, see our Mexican Chilis page. Do not expect any of these chilis to give you the bright red color of the commercial stuff - consider that bright red color to be evidence it's fake.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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