Chilli oil
The Chinese condiment that goes on everything. A jar of slow-infused spice oil - bay, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns - poured hot over a bowl of chilli flakes, smoked paprika and crispy fried shallots. Stir before each use. Spoon over rice, noodles, eggs, soup, anything that's hot and could be improved.
Overview
Two-stage flavour build: first a spice infusion (whole spices soaked briefly in water, then simmered slowly in vegetable oil with spring onion and ginger), then a sizzle (the hot strained oil poured over a heat-proof bowl of chilli flakes, smoked paprika, soy and Chinese vinegar). Cooling. Mixing in the textural elements: caster sugar, salt, chicken stock powder, crispy fried shallots and crispy fried garlic. Jarred, rested 24 hours so the flavours marry, stirred vigorously before each use because the oil and solids separate.
Ingredients
The spice blend
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- ½ cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom pods (about 7-8)
- 2 ½ teaspoons red/pink Sichuan peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon whole cloves (about 8)
- 2 teaspoons water
The oil infusion
- 1 green onion stem (cut into 15 cm lengths)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (sliced 3 mm thick)
- 1 cup vegetable or sunflower oil (peanut also works)
The sizzle base
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 3 teaspoons chilli flakes (Korean gochugaru is mild; Italian red pepper flakes work)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang)
Seasoning and crunch
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Chinese chicken stock powder (optional but typical)
- ½ cup crispy fried shallots
- 2 tablespoons crispy fried garlic
Method
Stage 1 - Soak the spices
- Roughly chop the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise into 1 cm pieces. Combine with the whole cardamom (lightly cracked), Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds and cloves in a small bowl.
- Add the 2 teaspoons of water - just enough to dampen everything. Stir, leave to sit for 30 minutes. The dampness slows the oil from burning the spices during the infusion.
Stage 2 - Infuse the oil
- Combine the soaked spices, green onion lengths, ginger slices and the cup of oil in a small (20 cm) saucepan.
- Heat over a medium-low until the oil reaches a gentle fizzy simmer - small bubbles rising slowly around the spices. Don't go hotter; the spices burn fast above 140°C.
- Maintain that fizz for 25-30 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes. The oil will turn a deep amber and smell strongly of warm spice.
Stage 3 - Prepare the sizzle bowl
- While the oil infuses, combine the white sesame seeds, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, light soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar in a wide heat-proof bowl. Mix to a thick paste.
Stage 4 - Pour and cool
- Once the spice infusion is done, strain the hot oil through a fine sieve directly into the sizzle bowl. Discard the spent spices, green onion and ginger.
- The chilli flakes will sizzle and pop. Stir gently with a heat-proof spoon to make sure all the dry ingredients meet the hot oil.
- Leave to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Stage 5 - Finish
- Stir in the sugar, salt and chicken stock powder until evenly distributed.
- Add the crispy fried shallots and crispy fried garlic. Mix well - the crunchy bits should sit suspended in the oil, with a clear oil layer above and chunks of crisp beneath.
Stage 6 - Jar and rest
- Transfer to a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. The oil will rise; the solids settle.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours before using - the rest period is where the flavour deepens. The aroma after a day is twice what it smelled of straight out of the pan.
Notes
- Vigorous stir before each use: the oil and solids separate. Always stir from the bottom up before scooping.
- Spice profile is forgiving: missing star anise or cardamom? Skip them. The chilli flakes and smoked paprika carry the heart.
- Heat level: 3 teaspoons of mild chilli flakes (gochugaru) gives a warm, fragrant chilli oil rather than incendiary. For more heat, use the same volume of crushed Tianjin chillies; for a milder version, swap half the flakes for an extra teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Shelf life: refrigerated in a clean glass jar, this keeps 2-3 months. Bring back to room temperature before using so the oil flows.
Serving
Spoon over rice, noodles, eggs (fried, scrambled, or in a ramen broth), dumplings, pizza, avocado toast, steamed greens, soups. The "everything goes" condiment.
Storage
- In a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 months. The crunchy bits go softer over time; flavour stays.
- Don't freeze - the oil clouds and the solids go pulpy on thawing.
More like this
Martabak Telur
A simple flour-water-oil dough rests for 1 hour (gluten relaxes; will roll paper-thin). Filling: beef mince cooks with shallot, garlic, ginger, curry-leaf, ground spices till dry and aromatic; cools; mixes with beaten eggs, spring onion and chopped coriander just before frying. Dough divides; each portion stretches paper-thin like a strudel; filling spoons in the centre; the edges fold over to make a flat square parcel; pan-fries for 3 minutes per side. Cuts in quarters; eats with chilli-pickle sauce.
Kung Pao Shrimp
Kung pao (gongbao) shrimp is the seafood cousin of the classic Sichuan gongbao jiding, named for the 19th-century governor-general Ding Baozhen whose title was Gong Bao. Where the chicken version uses diced meat, the shrimp version keeps the prawns whole or halved so they curl into bright pink commas around the chillies and peanuts. The flavour profile is the signature Sichuan "lychee" balance: a touch of sweetness from sugar, sourness from black vinegar, salt and umami from soy, and the warm tingle (ma la) of toasted Sichuan peppercorn paired with the smoky bite of dried er jing tiao chillies. This is a fast dish, fundamentally a wok exercise: every ingredient must be prepped and lined up before the heat goes on, because once the chillies hit the oil you have maybe ninety seconds before everything is overcooked. Difficulty is moderate for a home cook with a working wok and high burner; the trick is keeping the chillies dark red and fragrant without scorching them black, and pulling the shrimp out the moment they curl. Served over plain rice it is one of the most rewarding ten-minute meals in the repertoire.
Spicy Chicken with Peanuts
This is a classic western Chinese dish better known in China as Gongbao chicken (or Kung Pao chicken). Named after Chinese official Ding Baozhen, Governor of Sichuan province in the nineteenth century, it represents the region's bold approach to flavour: spicy, slightly sour, sweet, and savoury all at once. The combination of roasted peanuts and dried chilli creates an unforgettable sauce.
Cantonese BBQ Chicken
This is summer-BBQ adaptation of the lacquered red roast meats that hang in the windows of Cantonese siu mei shops. The marinade borrows from char siu (hoisin, soy, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, fermented bean curd, garlic, ginger) but pulls back on the sugar slightly because chicken does not need as much sweetness as pork shoulder. Bone-in skin-on thighs are the right cut: they stay juicy on the grill, the skin renders down and crisps, and the bones give the meat shape. A two-stage glaze does the rest. The thighs cook over indirect heat first to render the fat and set the meat, then move directly over the coals for the last few minutes while a honey-maltose mixture is brushed on repeatedly. Every brush of glaze caramelises, blackens slightly at the edges, then gets brushed again. The result is sticky-shiny with a smell that is half five-spice, half woodsmoke. Difficulty is low if you control your heat. A two-zone fire (one side coals piled high, the other side empty) is the only real requirement; on a gas grill, two burners on full and one off does the same job. Serve sliced over plain rice with sliced cucumber and a spoon of chilli oil, or stuffed into bao with hoisin and spring onion.