The short answer: Japanese chili oil, called rayu or la-yu, is a thin, red chili oil with toasted sesame oil in it. Warm a neutral oil with garlic, ginger and spring onion, strain it, heat it to 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F) and pour it over chili flakes. Stir in sesame oil once it cools. Keep it in the fridge.
Rayu is the chili oil you find next to the soy sauce in a Japanese gyoza bar. Next to Sichuan chili oil, Japanese chili oil is thinner and has no numbing tingle. It smells of toasted sesame before it tastes of chili. There is also a crunchy kind, taberu rayu, packed with fried garlic. Here is how to make both.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | About 30 minutes, plus cooling |
| Makes | About 250 ml |
| Pouring temperature | 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F) |
| Keeps | Up to 1 month in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 200 ml neutral oil: rapeseed, sunflower or rice bran
- 50 ml toasted sesame oil
- 15 g fine chili powder or flakes: Korean gochugaru gives colour without too much heat
- 1 tsp hotter chili flakes, if you like heat
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 3 slices fresh ginger; 1 spring onion, cut in lengths
- 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
How to make Japanese chili oil
- Prepare the bowl. Put the chili, sugar, salt and sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl that holds three times the oil.
- Flavour the oil. Warm the neutral oil with the garlic, ginger and spring onion on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold.
- Strain. Lift out the aromatics with a slotted spoon.
- Heat. Bring the oil to 120 to 135 °C (250 to 275 °F).
- Pour in stages. Pour a third over the chili and stir. Wait 30 seconds, then pour the rest.
- Add the sesame oil. Once it has cooled to warm, stir in the toasted sesame oil. Heat dulls its smell, so it goes in last.
- Rest. Leave it overnight. Pour off the clear red oil for gyoza, and keep the sediment for noodles.
Taberu rayu: the crunchy kind
Taberu rayu means "chili oil you can eat". You spoon it, you do not drip it. Make it by stirring crisp fried garlic and shallot into the finished oil.
- Slice 6 garlic cloves and 1 small shallot very thin.
- Fry them in 100 ml neutral oil on medium-low heat until light gold. Lift them out at once; they keep darkening.
- Let them drain and cool on kitchen paper. They turn crisp.
- Stir them into the cooled rayu with 1 tsp soy sauce and an extra spoon of sesame seeds.
For a bigger, bolder version, see our crunchy garlic chili oil.
Japanese, Sichuan and Chinese chili oil
| Japanese rayu | Sichuan chili oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Oil | Neutral oil plus toasted sesame oil | Neutral oil |
| Spices | Few: garlic, ginger, spring onion | Many: star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper |
| Feel | Smooth, nutty, gentle heat | Fragrant, numbing, bolder |
| Classic use | Gyoza dip, ramen | Dumplings, noodles, cold dishes |
Our main chili oil guide covers the pour-over method in detail. For the numbing kind, see Sichuan chili oil.
A slow-infused version
For a softer, rounder rayu, skip the hot pour. Put 200 ml neutral oil and 15 g dried chili flakes in the Glass of the NOIDS Herb Lab. Stay under the MAX mark. Cover with the Dish Lid and run the Oil function: about 120 to 180 minutes at 100 °C (212 °F). It cools by itself. Strain, then stir in the sesame oil, salt and sugar. Leave out the fresh garlic and ginger for this method.
How to use it
- Gyoza dip: 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part rice vinegar, a few drops of rayu.
- Over ramen, especially miso or tonkotsu.
- Taberu rayu spooned over hot rice or a fried egg.
- Stirred into mayonnaise for a spicy dip.
Common mistakes
- Oil too hot: the chili turns black and tastes burnt in seconds. Stay at 120 to 135 °C.
- Sesame oil in the hot pan: it loses its nutty smell. Stir it in once the oil is warm, not hot.
- Burnt garlic chips: lift them out at light gold. They keep cooking on the paper.
- Coarse chili only: rayu wants fine chili for a smooth, red oil. Save coarse flakes for the crunchy kind.
How to store it
- Keep it in a clean, closed jar in the fridge and use it within a month. Penn State Extension allows up to 3 months; we use the shorter time.
- Taberu rayu with fried garlic: the garlic rule applies. Fridge, and use within 4 days, or freeze it in small portions.
- Always use a clean, dry spoon. Sesame oil goes cloudy in the fridge; it clears at room temperature.
Questions
What is Japanese chili oil called?
It is called rayu or la-yu. The crunchy kind with fried garlic is called taberu rayu, which means chili oil you can eat.
Is Japanese chili oil spicy?
Classic rayu is mild to medium. Most of its taste is toasted sesame. Add a pinch of hotter chili flakes if you want more heat.
Why add the sesame oil at the end?
Toasted sesame oil loses its smell when it gets very hot. Stirring it in once the chili oil has cooled keeps it nutty and strong.
How long does homemade rayu keep?
Up to a month in a closed jar in the fridge, with the garlic and ginger strained out. With fried garlic stirred in, use it within 4 days or freeze it.
What do you eat Japanese chili oil with?
Gyoza, ramen, rice, eggs and noodles. The classic is a gyoza dip of soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few drops of rayu.
