Learn how to make Chinese chili oil (Chinese chili sauce), the essential seasoning for lots of Chinese cuisine, especially Szechuan style dishes. And Elaine gets the secrets of making the perfect Chinese chili oil with strong enough flavor and bright red color.
Chinese chili oil is also called red oil in China. It is a combined seasoning using red pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, mixed spices, ginger and toasted sesame seeds. High temperature oil is usually used to stimulate the strong aroma of red pepper powder. But meanwhile, it brings dark red color instead of bright red color. We will add red pepper powder by two batches, poured over by oil of different temperatures. High temperature oil can simulate the strong aroma while lower temperature oil brings us the bright red color.
Traditionally people in Sichuan first toast red peppers and then break them by hand using a stone grinder. But now we directly buy red pepper powders from the supermarket and this homemade Chinese chili oil can be finished within 10 minutes.
About the spices
In Sichuan cuisine, spices play important roles. If you visit a Sichuan style restaurant selling Chongqing noodles, they use lots of spices in the hot oil. It is ok to skip some of the spices but at least you need to prepare ginger, bay leaves, scallion white, star anise, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and cloves.
Place around 5 tablespoons of red pepper powder in a bowl.
Heat the spices in oil over the slowest fire for around 5 minutes until the scallion white becomes slightly brown and you can smell the strong aroma. Filter all the spices out and leave the oil in the pot.
Re-heat the oil in the pot until slightly smoky and then pour half of the hot oil over the red pepper powder.
There will be large bubbles this time.
Add another 2 tablespoons of red pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seed and 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn in the bowl. Rest the left oil for around 3 minutes and pour the left half oil again.
The red oil will turn bright red after 24 hours.
Keep the chili oil in air-tight container and this can be kept up to one month in room temperature.
This chili oil can be directly used in following recipes.
- red oil wonton
- Poached Chicken with Chili Sauce (Saliva Chicken)
- Bon Bon Chicken
- Chinese coriander salad
- Dan Dan Noodles
- 7 tablespoons red pepper flakes ,Sichuan style pepper flakes is fried before curshing
- 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 cup more for adjusting
- 1 thumb ginger ,must
- 2 bay leaves ,must
- 3 star anise ,must
- 1 bark Chinese cinnamon
- 3 scallion whites ,must
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn ,must
- 4 cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 Amomum tsao-ko ,Cao Guo
- 3 amomum kravanh ,White Dou Kou
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Heat the spices in oil over the slowest fire for around 5 minutes until the scallion white becomes slightly brown and you can smell the strong aroma. Filter all the spices out and leave the oil in the pot.
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Place around 5 tablespoons of red pepper powder in a bowl.
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Re-heat the oil in the pot until slightly smoky and then pour half of the hot oil over the red pepper powder. Rest the left oil for 5 minutes.
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Add another 2 tablespoons of red pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seed and 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn in the bowl. Pour the left half oil again.
The nutrition facts is calculated based on one bottom of the oil
hi, my chili oil did not come out very spicy, any reasons why? i used the full amount but i also toasted them in a wok first, could that be why?
Thomas,
Are you using flakes or powders? How hot your oil is when pouring? Toasting the peppers in wok firstly can help to add some crispiness to the chili oil.
Hello Elaine
When i tried mine after cooking, it seemed like id burnt the chilli with the oil, how smoky should the oil be when pouring it in? (i used chili flakes not powder)
Jonathon,
I never test the temperature of the oil. But you can figure out on your side with small test. When pouring the oil, do not pour all of them. Just a small volume and see whether the flakes get burnt. If the oil is too hot, wait for around 1 minutes and try again.
Hi Elaine. Do I need to store this chili oil in the fridge?. Thanks.
No, transfer them in air-tight container. It can be stored at room temperature.
For the Red Pepper Powder….the ones I am finding are like a true powdery texture. In the picture it looks more like red pepper flakes. Should I mix part powder and part red pepper flakes? or is there a course powder option? link would be helpful.
Vanessa,
In fact, it is pepper flakes. But it is a very special one as the peppers are fried other than directly crushed. You can use this Sichuan pepper powder from amazon for an authentic taste.
Utterly delicious but just a bit too hot for me. The second time I made it I used harissa (a Spanish red pepper mix) and it gave it a different but still delicious twist. Next time I think I will use just a little bit less hot spice.
Jan,
You can try to mix in some Korean pepper flakes. They are much milder.
I just went to my local H Mart and purchased a bag of Szechuan peppercorns. On it it says they must be washed for 5 minutes and boiled for 30 mins before use. I have never heard of treating Szechuan Peppercorns this way. Any idea why it says that?
I have never heard about that treatment. But I found related information about the previous “U.S. import ban” , saying that the peppercorn should be heated for 10 minutes. I suggest you purchase other high quality Sichuan peppercorn to home cooking.
The whole family loves this recipe for Szechuan chili oil. We double the Szechuan peppers, and have used standard US crushed red chilies, it turns out great.
Thanks for the feedback Jeff. Double Szechuan peppers can make the oil slightly numbing but very delicious, I believe.
Thank you for the recipe! I was wondering why do the nutrition facts show so much sodium when no salt is called for in the recipe? The reason I ask is that I am looking for low-salt recipes for my dad who is on a salt-restricted diet.
Hi,
I calculated the nutrition facts based on 20 tablespoon of chili oil. And I carefully read each of the label and find the sodium comes form the pepper flakes.
Hallo Elaine!
I tried this recipe! It tastes perfect! Many many thanks for teaching us this recipe! Love your authentic Chinese cooking!
Thanks Am,
This is my favorite seasoning in kitchen. Hope you find more interesting matching with it.
Great recipe!!
I made red chili oil several times before, but not with all the spices or the hot then cooler oil method. This way is the best! I have already used it to make wonderful mouth-water chicken and dan-dan noodles, and it’s as good or better than my local Sichuan restaurant.
Thanks so much!
Olivier,
Thanks so much for trying out and leaving me such a great feedback. Now you can match with your chili oil with yummy dishes! Happy cooking!