Learn how to make authentic Chinese chili oil from whole dried red pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. This method produces a dark right color but the strongest aroma so it is extremely popular in Szechuan restaurants.
In different Chinese cuisine especially Sichuan cuisine, condiments and seasonings are quite important. Since chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn are the most two important condiments in Sichuan cuisine. Besides, combined Szechuan style chili oil is also an important seasoning, not shining but indispensable to your kitchen.
I have made a similar version long time ago, using pepper flakes directly. Then when I was browsing a picture introducing Sichuan style fried dried pepper, suddenly I realized the types of pepper flakes might influence the taste a lot. The Sichuan style pepper flakes we bought here in China are all fried before ground. By following this recipe, you can approach the real Sichuan Restaurant flavor maximumly. But the oil is actually “dark red” instead of “bright red”.
We usually use at least two types of dried whole peppers for red oil because some of them have strong aroma, some with great red color while others are spicy enough. For me, I love to mix Er Jing Tiao (aroma and color), Bullet Head (aroma) and Facing heaven(hotness). If you are in US, you can go this shop and find those ingredients. Or use dried whole peppers from amazon.
You can use this chili oil in following Sichuan style hot dishes.
- Dan dan noodles
- Chongqing noodles
- Mouthwatering chicken
- Red oil wonton
- Cold sesame wonton
- Smashed cucumber salad
Ingredients
- 100g dried chili peppers (cut into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
- 2 cups oil (recommend colleseed oil)
- 2 green onion, white parts only
- 1 thumb ginger, sliced
- 2 star anises
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small piece of Chinese cinnamon
- 1 tsaoko (optional)
- 1 fructus amomi, ็ ไป (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the dried whole chili peppers. If you want to reduce the hotness, discard part of the seeds to reduce the hotness.
- Fry the pepper sections over slow fire until they turn dark red (the purpose of this step is to stimulate the aroma).
- Transfer the dried chili peppers into a stone mortar and then crush roughly. Be carefully and protect yourself.
- Transfer the crushed chili flakes to a bowl, add Sichuan peppercorn and toasted sesame seeds.
- Add oil in wok and cut the spring onion into one inch sections and slice ginger. Fry over slow fire until they becomes brown.
- Transfer them out and then add dried spices. Continue fry over slow fire until aromatic. Move the spices out.
- Pour around 1/2 cup of hot oil into the chili fakes. Mix well. At this time, the oil should be quite hot.
- Wait for around half minutes until the oil is slightly cooled. Pour the remaining hot oil into the chili flakes.
- Pour to a air-tight container, wait for 1-2 days until the red color is formed.
How to Make Chinese Red Oil (Difficult Version)
Ingredients
- 100 g dried chili peppers ,cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
- 2 cups oil ,recommend colleseed oil
- 2 green onion ,white parts only
- 1 thumb ginger ,sliced
Spices
- 2 star anises
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small piece of Chinese cinnamon
- 1 tsaoko ,optional
- 1 small fructus amomi ,็ ไป (optional)
Instructions
Make the pepper flakes
- Cut the dried whole chili peppers. If you want to reduce the hotness, discard part of the seeds.
- Fry the pepper sections over slow fire until they turn dark red (the purpose of this step is to stimulate the aroma).
- Transfer the dried chili peppers into a stone mortar and then crush roughly.
Prepare the oil
- Transfer the crushed chili flakes to a bowl, add Sichuan peppercorn and toasted sesame seeds.
- Add oil in wok and cut the spring onion into one inch sections and slice ginger. Fry over slow fire until they becomes brown.
- Transfer them out and then add dried spices. Continue fry over slow fire until aromatic. Move the spices out.
Mix oil with pepper
- Pour around 1/2 cup of hot oil into the chili fakes. Mix well.
- Turn up the fire and heat the oil until almost smoky. Pour the remaining hot oil into the chili flakes.
- Pour to a air-tight container, wait for 1-2 days until the red color is formed.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
I’m really excited to try making this recipe, I can think of lots of great ways to use this oil. I was just wondering, how long does the oil keep? And should it be kept in the fridge or outside?
Hi Jordan,
Keep the oil in air-tighter and clean bottles either in fridge or just in room. I usually make one bottle and finish up within a month.
Thank you Elaine for both recipes. Very clear and detailed. Would you ever add any other ingredients to the chili oil?
What’s the other ingredients you prefer?
Hi Elaine,
I would like to clarify for some of your readers here the ingredient you list as ‘cassia bark.’ Here in the west, that translates to cinnamon bark. I just thought some readers may not know what you meant. Cinnamon is from the bark of a particular species of cassia, but most westerners are unaware of that.
Hello Elaine
Can you tell me how hot the oil should be when I heat it up?
Thank you!
I will post a version soon, about how to make restaurant style chili oil. Mostly they are made from whole peppers.
Can you replace the peanut oil with vegetable oil instead? And do you recommend some of the chili oil you can buy off the shelf or is it better to make it yourself?
Sure, you can use colleseed oil or other canola oil. If you do not want to make it at home, you can try product from Laoganma (่ๅนฒๅฆ).
Four years later now… and I’m still making that amazing tasting red oil…
Hi Elaine,
those “Facing Heaven” chilies look a lot like the “Bird’s eye chili” from Thailand which I can get here quite easily. Are they by any chance the same?
No, they are different types but very similar in appearance. Bird’s eye should be hotter than facing heaven in Chinese. I do not believe bird’s eye chili is a food ingredient for hot oil since it is too hot.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us … I always look forward to receiving them …..
Dear Elaine,
In the past, I have ordered Sichuan ingredients from The Mala Market referenced in your article. I like their products as it is very authentic. I have also ordered Sichuan ingredients from e-Commerce website, Spicy Element. They also carry authentic Sichuan products. I prefer Spicy Element because they ship for free.
Thank you for this updated recipe for Red Chili Oil.
Steve
Steve,
You are the most welcome! I know spicy element import Sichuan ingredients from Sichuan and I trust them. It is very glad to hear that the authentic ingredients are be accessed outside China. Happy cooking!