Chilli Oil
Cook Time: ~1 Hour
Chilli oil is one of my top 5 condiments and is woefully underappreciated in the West; which is a shame because it’s packed with flavour and heat. This recipe uses a blend of aromatics such as coriander seeds, cinnamon, red wine vinegar, star anise, cardamom, garlic, and onion to add depth and complexity.
Chilli oil is incredibly versatile and remarkably simple to make. It’s great as a kitchen-top condiment or as a gift. Because it has a base of oil, it can be used for cooking or gentle frying. Alternatively, and this is how I tend to use it, it goes perfectly with a wide range of dishes; from eggs, meat, dumplings, fish, stews and soups, salads, vegetables, and rice dishes. This stuff turns a plain old boiled egg into a flavour sensation.
Serves: N/A
Prep: ~5 minutes
Cook: ~60 minutes
Ingredients
Chilli flakes (75g to 100g)
Olive oil (500ml)
Red wine vinegar (1 tbsp)
Coriander seeds (2 tbsp)
One thick cinnamon stick
3 Star anise
10 Cardamom pods
4 Large garlic cloves
Small white onion
Fine sea salt (1.5 tsp)
Notes
Oil: You may use groundnut oil instead. I prefer olive oil because I tend to drizzle the chilli oil over meats, eggs, and vegetables.
Heat: Despite its name, Chilli oil isn’t incredibly spicy and the heat does not linger. You may scale up/down the quantity of chilli flakes to suit your preference.
Portion: In a house of two people, who consume this regularly, a batch of chilli oil lasts me a couple of months. Scale the ingredients up or down to alter the portion.
Equipment
Medium-sized pot
Large bowl
Fine sieve
Glass jar
Mise En Place
Lightly bash the garlic, leaving the skin intact. Peel and quarter the onion.
Empty the chilli flakes, 1.5 teaspoons of fine sea salt, and red wine vinegar into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Throw everything else (including the oil) into a cooking pot.
The Cook
On a light to medium heat, bring the oil and aromatics to a simmer, and then reduce the heat the a very subtle simmer; no vigorous bubbling. Do not boil, otherwise the oil can become rancid. Leave the heat setting consistent, and gently simmer for between 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Tip: The longer this simmers, the greater the extraction of flavour. I reccomend 45 minutes the the minimum, which is fine if you don’t have all day to sit around a stove.
If you do decide to simmer for 2 hours, be sure to remove the garlic once it goes brown and mushy.
Just before you come to the end of your desired cooking time, turn the heat up to medium heat to a point where the oil aggressively bubbles. Once bubbling, remove from the heat and immediately sieve over the bowl of chilli flakes; ensuring none of the aromatics make it through.
Tip: Combining these two will result in a lot of foam and bubbling inside the bowl, which is natural. Make sure to leave considerable room in the bowl to prevent spillover.
Let the chilli oil sit until it reaches room temperature, and then decant it into a jar, ideally made of glass. This can be left sitting outside of the fridge and is the perfect condiment to have handy. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this recipe please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor