Mar . 25, 2024 16:13 Back to list

Chinese Chili Oil Odm Red Dried Chilies

An easy 30-min. Chinese Chili Oil that is spicy, delicious, homemade of red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, onion and other fragrant aromatics!

Chinese Chili Oil

Chinese Chili Oil is a spicy delicious condiment with a bright red color commonly found at your local Chinese restaurant or Asian grocery store. You can serve this over dumplings, rice, noodles, protein or vegetables!

Sweet paprika crushed

This versatile homemade Chinese chili oil is the best condiment when you want to spice up your taste buds! You can use this finishing oil on any Chinese food! My personal preference is mixing this into my favorite 3-ingredient Dumpling Dipping Sauce to pair with my Pork Cabbage Dumplings!

Chinese Chili Oil

This simple Chinese chili oil recipe will produce about 2 cups. It will last up to 6 month in a sterilized airtight container in the fridge, as long as you always scoop with a clean spoon. Do not store this at room temperature or mold can quickly grow.

This is by far the best chili oil I've ever made. My recipe video went viral on Instagram alone with 12M+ views and so many of you have enjoyed it!

Ingredients

Please find the full measurements in the recipe card below.

Whole Dried Sichuan Red Chili Peppers: You can find these dried chili peppers at most Chinese grocery stores. Using whole dried chilies creates more flavor. Or substitute with Sichuan flakes or Chinese Chili Flakes to make things easier however this is not as flavorful as using whole chilies. This is a common spice used in Sichuan Cuisine. Or substitute with red pepper flakes or normal chili flakes if you can't find the above.
Garlic cloves: this will add a garlicky taste to your chili oil! If you're allergic to garlic, feel free to omit.
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
Sichuan pepper powder: or substitute with finely ground Sichuan peppercorns or a spice powder like chili powder or red pepper powder, like Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes).
Salt: to help flavor the oil and bring out the strong flavors from the aromatics.

Aromatics

Fresh Ginger: to bring out that gingery flavor. Or substitute with ginger powder but add this to taste at the very end after you've added the hot oil into the chili flakes.
Onion: Yellow or white onion will work. Please note that these will become golden brown or dark brown along the edges in the cooking oil.
Star anise: A wonderful spice that is sweet and tastes like licorice.
Bay leaf: Commonly used in many cuisines not just Asian. It's a leaf that has a leaf like flavor and helps to lighten any heavy flavors.
Cinnamon stick: Adds a great cinnamon flavor.
Cloves: These add a warmth to the chili oil.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Expert Tips

For best taste, use whole dried red chilis. Because the chilis haven’t been broken down, the taste and aroma remain intact better than pre-ground red chili flakes.
For a quick and simple chili oil, use Sichuan red chili flakes but the flakes aren't as flavorful as whole chilies. This will eliminate one step from the process and a kitchen appliance to wash later!
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. I can't stress this enough and I share suggestions in the Ingredient notes.
Fry ginger, garlic and onions in oil low and slow for at least 20-25 minutes for a very aromatic chili oil. Do not be tempted to fry the dry ingredients over high temperature or high heat, this will cause them to burn.
The heat level needs to be low to bring out the flavors slowly. The temperature of the oil should be at most 250 F. Please use a cooking thermometer to determine the temperature or set heat to level 3 out of 10 or medium low heat.

How to make Chinese Chili Oil

Grind Chilies & Create Spice Mix

Add the dried red chilis into a food processor and grind on HIGH speed until they become small flakes. Transfer the chili flakes into a large heat-proof bowl like a glass, steel or ceramic bowl (be careful not to inhale here!) To the same bowl, add minced garlic, Sichuan pepper and salt. Set aside.

Fry Aromatics on Low Heat

In a large pot or large wok on low-medium heat, add neutral tasting oil. Allow the oil temperature come to 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer or place a wooden chopstick inside to check for bubbles to know if you oil is hot enough.

When the oil is hot, add in aromatics: ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves. Allow this to simmer on low heat for at least 20-30 minutes for best fragrance. Stir occasionally.

Pour Aromatic Oil over Spice Mix

After it’s simmered, remove the aromatics from the oil and discard them. Carefully pour the hot oil into your red chili flakes and let it bubble. As it bubbles, stir the flakes with the oil to prevent the flakes from overcooking or burning.

Allow this to cool to touch. Transfer into a sterilized glass air-tight jar and enjoy! Note: Always use clean utensils when scooping chili oil from the jar to prevent contamination or mold growth.

Storage

Chili oil needs to be stored in a sterilized jar and it will last up to 6 months as long as you scoop with a clean spoon.
You can also freeze chili oil in a plastic container after it's been cooled and allow it to defrost in the fridge before using.
Since our version contains garlic it's important to refrigerate it to prevent bacteria from growing.

How do I sterilize a glass jar?

There are different ways to sterilize a glass jar but I will share the way that my mom taught me:

In a large pot of hot boiling water, carefully lower your cleaned glass jars (meaning: you have given them a wash with soap and water) in a single layer. Do not pile them on top of each other.
Lower the heat to low and boil for 10 minutes. Remove them from the hot boiling water to air dry.
As for the lids, boil them in a sauce pan with hot boiling water for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove and allow them to air dry.

FAQ

Is chili oil the same as chili crisp?

This red oil is very similar except chili crisp has crispy bits. The crisp recipe contains deep fried thin shavings of garlic in it making the delicious chili oil crispy! My favorite brand of chili crisp is Lao Ga Man.

Ways to enjoy Chinese chili oil?

It's a spicy condiment that you can add on top of noodles, rice, meat, veggies, dumplings, soup, hot soupy noodles, or stir fries.