The short answer: to make chili oil, warm neutral oil with whole spices and aromatics, strain it, heat it to 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F) and pour it over chili flakes, salt and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Let it cool, jar it and keep it in the fridge for up to a month.
Good chili oil is red, fragrant and only as hot as you want it. The Sichuan pour-over method takes about 20 minutes, and the temperature of the oil is what decides whether it tastes toasty or burnt. Below: the classic recipe, a gentler slow-infused version, a heat guide for different chilies, and how to store your oil safely.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 20 minutes (Sichuan style) or 2 to 3 hours hands-off (slow-infused) |
| Makes | About 300 ml |
| Pouring temperature | 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F) |
| Keeps | Up to 1 month in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 300 ml neutral oil with a high smoke point: rapeseed, peanut or sunflower
- 30 g chili flakes: Sichuan or Korean gochugaru for colour, plus a pinch of hotter flakes if you like heat
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 star anise, 1 small cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves
- 3 slices fresh ginger, 2 spring onions cut in lengths, 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
- Optional: 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Sichuan-style chili oil, step by step
- Prepare the chili bowl. Put the chili flakes, salt, sugar and sesame seeds in a heatproof glass or metal bowl that holds at least three times the volume of the oil.
- Flavour the oil. Put the oil, whole spices, ginger, spring onion and garlic in a small pan. Heat gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until the spring onion and garlic turn golden. Keep the bubbles small.
- Strain. Lift out the aromatics with a slotted spoon. They have given their flavour to the oil.
- Heat to pouring temperature. Bring the oil to 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F). This range suits dried flakes; much hotter, and they scorch and turn bitter.
- Pour in stages. Pour a third of the oil over the flakes; it will sizzle hard. Stir, wait 30 seconds, then pour the rest.
- Rest. Let it cool completely, then jar it. It tastes better the next day, once the flakes have settled.
No thermometer? Drop in a pinch of chili flakes. They should sizzle at once and darken within a few seconds, not turn black straight away.
A gentle slow-infused chili oil
If you prefer a smoother oil that tastes more of the spices than of toasted chili, infuse everything slowly at a lower temperature instead of frying. It is also the calmer method in a busy kitchen: no hot pan, no spitting oil.
With the NOIDS Herb Lab:
- Put 200 ml oil, 15 g chili flakes and the whole spices into the Glass. Leave out the fresh garlic, ginger and spring onion. Stay under the MAX mark.
- Cover with the Dish Lid and place the Glass in the Main Body.
- Turn the Rotary Control to Oil. The cycle holds 100 °C (212 °F) for about 120 to 180 minutes, then cools by itself.
- Strain through the Filter Set for a clear red oil, or leave the flakes in for a chunkier one.
- Stir in salt, sugar and toasted sesame once it has cooled.
The fresh aromatics are left out on purpose. They carry water, and water in oil shortens its life. Add them fresh to the dish when you serve.
How hot will it be?
| Chili | Heat | Colour and flavour |
|---|---|---|
| Korean gochugaru | Mild | Bright red, fruity, slightly sweet |
| Sichuan erjingtiao | Mild to medium | Deep red, fragrant |
| Chile de árbol | Hot | Clean, sharp heat |
| Bird's eye | Very hot | Thin, intense heat, less colour |
Mix a mild, colourful chili with a smaller amount of a hot one to get both colour and heat.
How to store chili oil safely
- In the fridge: keep it in a clean, closed jar and use it within a month. Food-safety services advise the fridge even for oils made with dried ingredients, because a little moisture is enough.
- Fresh garlic, ginger or shallot left in the jar: keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days. Fresh aromatics in oil can grow harmful bacteria without any change in smell or taste. The same rule applies to garlic confit.
- Always use a clean, dry spoon.
- Oil turns cloudy or solid in the fridge. That is normal; it clears at room temperature.
Ways to use it
- Over dumplings with black vinegar and soy sauce
- Stirred into noodles with sesame paste
- On fried eggs, avocado toast or pizza
- In a dressing for smashed cucumber salad
Questions
What oil is best for chili oil?
A neutral oil with a high smoke point: rapeseed, peanut or sunflower. Olive oil works for the slow-infused version but tastes of itself.
What temperature should the oil be for chili oil?
120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F) when it meets dried chili flakes. Much hotter, and the flakes can scorch and turn bitter.
Why is my chili oil bitter?
The oil was too hot when it met the chili, or the garlic went past golden. Pour at 120 to 135 °C and take the garlic out sooner.
Why is my chili oil not red?
The chili was a pale, very hot variety, or the oil was too cool to draw out the colour. Gochugaru or Sichuan flakes give the colour.
Does chili oil need to be refrigerated?
Yes, the fridge is the safe choice: use it within a month. If fresh garlic, ginger or shallot stays in the jar, use it within 4 days.
