Vegan Bunny Elle

What’s the sexiest lil vixen in the family of condiment that can get your mouth water from just a sound or a whiff of smell? Chili oil! And it’s way easier than you might imagine to make your own at home.

Chili oil makes everything better, no literally, not only noodles, rice, toast, I even put chili oil on my icecream and you’d be surprised how delicious it is! You can of course buy readymade chili oil and nowadays there are some really amazing options out there, some of my personal favorites are Momofuku, Fly by Jing, and the good ol’ iconic Lao Gan Ma.

However, if you’re up for it, I highly recommend making your own chili oil! The intoxicating aroma, bright color, and pure taste are just unmatched by any store-bought one. First, you will need to infuse the oil with aromatic spices of choice. Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, and bay leaf are three fundamental MUST in my opinion. Other than those, you can also add cinnamon stick, garlic, cilantro, onion, etc to add more flavor twists. Be sure to use neutral tasting high smoke point oils like vegetable, peanut, canola, sunflower seed etc.

And I recently discovered a crucial little technique that can prevent the chili peppers from burning or turning dark and thus secure a lovely vibrant red color with no burnt taste! It might surprise you but the secret is – WATER! Yes, you mix a small teaspoon of water into the chopped chili peppers and powder before pouring the oil. The little moisture in the peppers can prevent them from overheating and the water will quickly evaporate upon contact with the hot oil so it won’t remain in the chili oil which can cause spoilage.

Homemade Sizzling Chili Oil

One sauce to rule them all – you can use chili oil to make almost everything taste better! Enjoy the sizzling aroma while making this recipe and get the most vibrant, flavorful, and freshest chili oil ever!

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Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup avocado oil or other neutral-tasting high-smoke point oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
• 3 star anise
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup whole dried Sichuan chili pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seed
• 1 teaspoon water

Method

 

1. In a sauce pot, add the oil, Sichuan peppercorn, star anises, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, and heat the oil over medium heat until there are small bubbles coming up around the spices;
2. Lower the heat to low, and let the oil infuse for 30 minutes, it should be a gentle simmering not rapid boiling bubbles;
3. Meanwhile, chop the chili peppers and add to a heat proof bowl, together with the chili powder and sesame seeds;
4. Pour in the teaspoon of water, stir to mix in it with the chili pepper flakes and powder, this is to moisten the chili peppers a little bit so they don’t burn upon contact with the hot oil;
5. Once the oil is done infusing, strain out the spices, then slowly pour over the chili pepper mix, pour the oil in a few times, not all at once;
6. Pour, let it sizzle, enjoy the aroma, stir, and pour again, repeat 3 – 4 times, until all the oil is mixed in and the aroma and color and sufficiently release;
7. Let the chili oil cool down and store in a clean airtight container in the fridge, only use clean utensils with each use to prevent spoiling!

Video