Chili oil is an essential condiment in Asian cuisine, especially in Chinese cuisine. This homemade chili oil recipe is simple yet delicious and aromatic. Let’s learn how to make chili oil — Sichuan style chili oil.
Love sauce? Check out these homemade garlic chili sauce, XO sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce, black pepper sauce, ginger scallion sauce, sweet & sour sauce and teriyaki sauce recipes.
What is chili oil?
Chili oil is a condiment and typically red in color. It is made from vegetable oil, chili peppers and other spices such as Sichuan peppercorns and garlic. Also, it is commonly used in Chinese cuisine and Southeast Asia. Besides, it is often used as a dipping sauce for noodles, meat, vegetables, dim sum and much more.
There are different ways and ingredients to make chili oil. Various areas of China, people called them slightly different such as yóu pō là zǐ (油潑辣子 splash hot oil on chili peppers), là yóu (辣油 spicy oil), hóng yóu (紅油 red oil) and là jiāo yóu (辣椒油 chili pepper oil).
Homemade Sichuan chili oil:
This chili oil recipe that I am going to share is a Sichuan style chili oil because Sichuan peppercorns are used which have a numb spiciness. And, this homemade chili oil sauce tastes much better than store bought brands because of the aroma from the spices. Also, it is great to use it for mapo tofu dishes.
What are the ingredients for Sichuan chili oil?
In this Sichuan chili oil sauce recipe, the ingredients are vegetable oil, onion, green onion, ginger, bay leaves, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, garlic, salt, sugar and soy sauce. I like garlic. Therefore, I added 2 whole pieces of garlic. Besides, you can adjust the spiciness by reducing the amount of Sichuan peppercorns.
Cooking tips for how to make chili oil:
- Wait until oil is hot around 350 F. You can use a wooden chopstick to test if the oil is hot enough. When you see some little bubbles around the chopstick, it means the oil is hot enough.
- Be careful it will overflow when you put onion, green onion, ginger and other spices into hot oil.
- Add the ingredients slowly or turn the fire to very low when you add the ingredients.
- Let it cook the ingredients for 15 minutes until the fragrance comes out.
- Keep stirring it when adding salt, sugar and soy sauce. To prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- You can adjust the amount of Sichuan peppercorns to your spiciness.
- Since I like garlic, in this recipe I used 2 whole pieces of garlic. (You can just use one whole garlic if you want more oil than the filling.)
FAQs:
This Sichuan chili oil recipe is not too hot. It is more mild to medium because I only used ½ tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns. You can add more or less Sichuan peppercorns according to your spiciness.
This recipe can last up to a few months if you store them in a shaded area with a glass container.
Sure! If you use fresh chili peppers, cook them in oil a little longer. The same time as adding minced garlic.
Most of the time, people like to use it for noodles, meat, vegetables and as dipping sauce for dim sum. I use it for pretty much everything like mapo tofu, stir fried vegetables and even mac & cheese! Yes, you are right mac & cheese and alfredo pasta noodles. It does add more flavor to the food!
Instructions for how to make chili oil:
Preparation:
1. Wash and soak 2 cups of dried chili peppers (around 6 gram or 2.1 oz) in a bowl for 15 minutes.
2. Peel 2 whole garlic.
3. Slice an onion (small).
4. Half a bunch of green onions.
5. Then, put the peeled garlic cloves into a chopper. Chop them until they are small. Don't need to be fine.
6. Next, put the soaked dried chili peppers into a chopper. Chop them until they are small. The same doesn't need to be fine.
Cooking:
7. After that, heat up 2 cups of vegetable oil.
8. Until it reaches around 350F. You can use a wooden chopstick to test if the oil is hot enough. When you see little bubbles around the chopstick, the oil is hot enough.
9. Slowly put onion and green onion into the hot oil. (Be careful it will overflow when you put onion, green onion, ginger and other spices into hot oil. I suggest turning off the fire or to very low heat when you add them.)
10. Add 6 slices of ginger, 4 pieces of star anise, 4 bay leaves and ½ tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns. (You can adjust the amount of peppercorns according to your spiciness.) Let it cook for 15 minutes, so the fragrance will come out.
11. After that, remove all the spices and put on a plate.
12. The following, slowly add the minced garlic. Stir them once a while and let it cook for 5 minutes.
13. After, add the chopped chili peppers and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
Seasoning:
14. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Keep stirring them until the salt and sugar is melted. Let it cook for another couple minutes after pouring soy sauce. (Be careful when pouring soy sauce, it may overflow. Turn the fire very low or off when you add soy sauce.)
Enjoy this amazing aroma Sichuan chili oil recipe! Also check out these steamed spareribs, Chinese cured pork belly, beef broccoli, Chinese bacon cabbage stir fry and steamed fish recipes.
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Chili Oil
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups Vegetable oil
- 2 whole Garlic (large)
- 2 cups Dried chili peppers (Around 64-76 pieces or 6 gram or 2.1 oz)
- 1 Onion (small)
- 1 bunch Green onion
- 6 slices Ginger
- 4 pieces Bay leaf
- 4 pieces Star anise
- ½ tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (adjust according to your spiciness)
- 2 tablespoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
Instructions
- Wash and soak 2 cups of dried chili peppers (around 6 gram or 2.1 oz) in a bowl for 15 minutes.
- Peel 2 whole garlic.
- Slice an onion (small).
- Half a bunch of green onions.
- Then, put the peeled garlic cloves into a chopper. Chop them until they are small. Don't need to be fine.
- Next, put the soaked dried chili peppers into a chopper. Chop them until they are small. The same doesn't need to be fine.
- After that, heat up 2 cups of vegetable oil.
- Until it reaches around 350F. You can use a wooden chopstick to test if the oil is hot enough. When you see little bubbles around the chopstick, the oil is hot enough.
- Slowly put onion and green onion into the hot oil. (Be careful it will overflow when you put onion, green onion, ginger and other spices into hot oil. I suggest turning off the fire or to very low heat when you add them.)
- Add 6 slices of ginger, 4 pieces of star anise, 4 bay leaves and ½ tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns. (You can adjust the amount of peppercorns according to your spiciness.) Let it cook for 15 minutes, so the fragrance will come out.
- After that, remove all the spices and put on a plate.
- The following, slowly add the minced garlic. Stir them once a while and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- After, add the chopped chili peppers and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
- Lastly, add 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Keep stirring them until the salt and sugar is melted. Let it cook for another couple minutes after pouring soy sauce. (Be careful when pouring soy sauce, it may overflow. Turn the fire very low or off when you add soy sauce.)
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make chili oil:
- Wait until oil is hot around 350 F. You can use a wooden chopstick to test if the oil is hot enough. When you see some little bubbles around the chopstick, it means the oil is hot enough.
- Be careful it will overflow when you put onion, green onion, ginger and other spices into hot oil.
- Add the ingredients slowly or turn the fire to very low when you add the ingredients.
- Let it cook the ingredients for 15 minutes until the fragrance comes out.
- Keep stirring it when adding salt, sugar and soy sauce. To prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- You can adjust the amount of Sichuan peppercorns to your spiciness.
- Since I like garlic, in this recipe I used 2 whole pieces of garlic. (You can just use one whole garlic if you want more oil than the filling.)
Jen
I've been making this Chili Oil for the last 2 years. It is the best chili oil I've ever tasted and so easy to make! I give it away to friends and family and they agree that it's better than any other chili oil they've tried.
I cannot recommend this oil enough.
Tracy O.
Hi Jen,
Thank you so much for your comment! I am so glad you like it.