So, I'm a BIG fan of chili oil. BIG fan, I tell ya. I try to find reasons to use the stuff. However, as much of the stuff as I've consumed over the years, I've never made the stuff. It was about time to fix that. I found a great recipe on The Woks of Life website that I found both fairly easy and quite delicious. Feel free to seek out the website, but I'll warn you that the thing is so full of ads and other doo-dads that it will freeze up my browser. Allow me to reproduce with my comments (in red):
Total Time: 45 minutes (about right, not including cooling time)
Yield: about 2 1/4 cups (also about right--note my comment, below, about pouring over the chili flakes)
Ingredients
1½ cups oil (ideally a vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed oil...light olive oil is fine, but it has a tendency to set in the fridge) (I used sunflower)
5 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, preferably cassia cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (used red ones)
¾ cup Asian crushed red pepper flakes (Sichuan chili flakes are the best) (can use Korean, but don't use the "normal" stuff)
1 - 1½ teaspoons salt (to taste) (1 tsp turned out to be a lot; I will trim that back on later batches)
(1 tablespoon of black peppercorns--added after a comment mentioned it and it sounded good)
Heat the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When the oil starts to bubble slightly, turn the heat down to medium. (use the peppercorns as the gauge for this--the cinnamon stick fizzes up like all get out)
Let the oil cook for 30 minutes like this. If you start to see that slight bubbling die down, periodically turn the heat back up to medium-high, then back down to medium if it gets too hot.
When the oil is done cooking, the seeds and pods should be darker in color, but not blackened (that means they burned, which results in subpar chili oil). Let the oil cool for 5 minutes. In a separate heat-proof bowl, measure out the crushed red pepper flakes and salt. (use a bowl that holds AT LEAST 3 cups, as everything will boil up when you pour in the oil)
Remove the aromatics from the oil (poured through a regular strainer directly over the chili flakes). Slowly pour the oil over the chili flakes, and stir well. When completely cooled (about an hour), transfer to a jar, and store in the refrigerator. The oil will keep for up to 6 months when stored this way (always remember to use a clean spoon to dip into the jar!)
This stuff is GOOD! A little toasty, perfect amount of heat, complex spice but not overwhelmed by anything. If you want to adjust the heat, adjust the amount of chili flakes. Sichuan peppercorns are not true peppercorns and do not add heat, so don't adjust those for heat.
Give it a try!!!
Total Time: 45 minutes (about right, not including cooling time)
Yield: about 2 1/4 cups (also about right--note my comment, below, about pouring over the chili flakes)
Ingredients
1½ cups oil (ideally a vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed oil...light olive oil is fine, but it has a tendency to set in the fridge) (I used sunflower)
5 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, preferably cassia cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (used red ones)
¾ cup Asian crushed red pepper flakes (Sichuan chili flakes are the best) (can use Korean, but don't use the "normal" stuff)
1 - 1½ teaspoons salt (to taste) (1 tsp turned out to be a lot; I will trim that back on later batches)
(1 tablespoon of black peppercorns--added after a comment mentioned it and it sounded good)
Heat the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When the oil starts to bubble slightly, turn the heat down to medium. (use the peppercorns as the gauge for this--the cinnamon stick fizzes up like all get out)
Let the oil cook for 30 minutes like this. If you start to see that slight bubbling die down, periodically turn the heat back up to medium-high, then back down to medium if it gets too hot.
When the oil is done cooking, the seeds and pods should be darker in color, but not blackened (that means they burned, which results in subpar chili oil). Let the oil cool for 5 minutes. In a separate heat-proof bowl, measure out the crushed red pepper flakes and salt. (use a bowl that holds AT LEAST 3 cups, as everything will boil up when you pour in the oil)
Remove the aromatics from the oil (poured through a regular strainer directly over the chili flakes). Slowly pour the oil over the chili flakes, and stir well. When completely cooled (about an hour), transfer to a jar, and store in the refrigerator. The oil will keep for up to 6 months when stored this way (always remember to use a clean spoon to dip into the jar!)
This stuff is GOOD! A little toasty, perfect amount of heat, complex spice but not overwhelmed by anything. If you want to adjust the heat, adjust the amount of chili flakes. Sichuan peppercorns are not true peppercorns and do not add heat, so don't adjust those for heat.
Give it a try!!!
Never do by halves.
