Homemade Chili Crisp Oil

This kind of crunchy and crispy chili oil seems to have become all the rage this year after getting quite a bit of air time on social media and deservedly so as it is irresistibly yummy drizzled over almost anything. I always bought mine in a jar until last month when I decided to start experimenting with my own homemade version inspired by all the inspiring recipes I’d seen in short videos all over the place. My first thought was that it seemed a little finicky and for someone who is a little scared of deep fat frying and sizzling oil it was a little daunting at first.

What I found was that the process of making your own chili crisp is actually really fun and as far as the deep frying goes it is pretty basic stuff. I will say that a kitchen thermometer is a must though to make sure you keep your temperatures in check!

Other than that it is a very creative process to make your own chili oil and you can really customise it to your tastes. You could swap out or add dried spices or change the peanuts for other nuts and seeds you like better. You can even vary the oil you use as long as it is an oil with a high smoke point. Although I prefer a neutral tasting oil myself so that you can really taste the infusion of flavours from the spices and aromatics.

The finished oil lasts for at least a month in an air tight container so that you can go drizzle wild over your noodles, rice, salads, soups and whatever else you can think up. It also makes a great holiday gift wrapped with a nice bow for that person in your life who loves a bit of spice!

Malin x

PS. This recipe is part of this YouTube video comprising three delicious DIY edible holiday gifts along with these ginger and almond biscotti that are both vegan and gluten free as well as this spiced winter apple tea blend. Enjoy!

Chili Crisp Oil

Makes roughly 1,5 cups.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup neutral oil with high smoke point

5 small shallots

5 large garlic cloves

Infused oil:

2 spring onions, white part only

3 garlic cloves

2 inch long piece of ginger

2-3 slivers of orange peel

1 tbsp sichuan peppercorns

3 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

Pour over:

0,25 cup chili flakes

0,25 cup gochugaru

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp mushroom stock powder, optional

Add-ins:

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp japanese soy sauce

0,25 cup roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

METHOD:

Part 1: Deep Frying

Peel and finely slice the shallots and garlic cloves, keeping them separate. Use a knife or for more precision a mandolin is preferred.

Pour the oil into a medium sized saucepan and heat the oil to 160 degrees C. A kitchen thermometer is necessary for some steps of this recipe to control the temperature of the oil.

Set up a heat safe jug to the side with a sieve sitting on top ready to strain the oil through. Also lay out a couple of paper towels over a plate or tray ready to soak up excess oil from the shallots and garlic after frying.

When the oil has reached 160 degrees C carefully submerge the sliced shallots in the oil. You might need to turn the heat up a little as you do this as the cool shallots might bring the temperature of the oil down. Keep the oil at the 160 degree C mark as you deep fry the shallots. Move them away from the edges using a skimmer as the oil gets warmer in that part of the pan. As soon as the shallots start turning golden, this usually takes 3-4 minutes, pour the oil through the sieve into the jug catching the shallots in the sieve itself. Spread the shallots out onto the paper towel lined tray, leaving a little bit of room for the garlic slices.

Pour the oil back into the pot and bring it to 150 degrees C this time. Once the oil is at the correct temperature submerge the garlic slices in the oil and fry until just turning golden around the edges. This will happen faster than the shallots so be alert. Pour the oil through the sieve into the jug again and transfer the fried shallots to the paper towels to dry.

Part 2: Infuse the Oil

Pour the oil back into the pot and leave it off the heat for a moment.

Cut the spring onions in half so that you have the white and green parts separated. You only need the white parts for this recipe. Also peel the garlic cloves and cut the piece of ginger in half lengthwise.

Next bring the oil back up to 110-120 degrees C and keep it there as you add in all the ingredients for the infusion.

Infuse the oil at a steadcy temperature for 30-45 minutes and make sure that none of the fresh ingredients burn. The spring onions and orange peel are the most likely to do so but shouldn’t if the heat is steadily between 110-120 degrees C. If they do for some reason, at some point, simply remove the burning pices and keep infusing the oil with the remaining ingredients.

Step 3: Pour Over

While the oil is infusing prepare the ingredients for the pour over. Simply add the two types of chili flakes, salt, sugar and mushroom stock powder (if using) to a heat safe medium sized bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Once the oil is infused bring the oil up to 150-160 degrees C. This sis necessary to get a good sizzle when pouring the oil over the chili mixture.

Strain the oil through the sieve once more* to remove the infsuion ingredients and quickly pour the oil over the chili mixture. Mix gently with a spoon to combine.

Step 4: Add-ins

To further enhance the flavour and texture of the chili oil add in sesame oil, soy sauce, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix well.

Cooling and Storing

Let the oil cool down to room temperature in the bowl before transferring to a clean, air tight, jar or container. Store in the fridge for up to a month,\maybe longer if it is not contaminated by other foods.

*Compost the spent infusion ingredients. (You can eat the garlic cloves if you want to.)