Chinese Hot Chili Oil
Chinese Hot Chili Oil is an essential condiment in my fridge, and very simple to make. Drizzle it on everything from noodles, fried rice, dumplings, avocado toast, or savory oatmeal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup ground red chili such as Aleppo pepper or gochugaru, or a combination
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick (broken in half if needed to in the jar)
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup neutral oil
Instructions
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the ground chili, salt, sesame seeds, star anise, and cinnamon stick.
- Thinly slice the garlic as paper-thinly as possible. Combine the sliced garlic and neutral oil in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat for several minutes, swirling occasionally so the garlic doesn’t stick. Let the garlic slowly cook until almost turning golden. Then turn off the heat and pour the garlic and oil over the dry ingredients in the bowl. At first the garlic while be pale, but after a few minutes, everything will turn red. Let it cool in the bowl, then carefully transfer to a jar.
- This type of chili oil is supposedly safe in the pantry, but I keep it in the fridge just in case. Drizzle over anything and everything. Enjoy!