Red Chili Oil is frequently used in many, many Chinese cuisines, especially Szechuan food such as mouth-watering chili chicken 口水鷄, handmade noodle 手杆肉燥面, Chili dumplings 紅油抄手, cucumber salad 涼拌拍黃瓜. It is not hard to make at home either!
QUICK TAKEAWAYS
- frying ingredients in medium-high oil can add flavors to it
- water in green onion, ginger and onion might splash oil, watch out!
- roasting peanuts on pan and frying sesame for 1 min are both to bring out their flavors
- pour pepper powder into hot oil is safer than pouring hot oil into pepper powder
RECIPE
Per 1.5 cup oil, we need:
- Ingredients to fry in oil and add flavor
- 1 green onion
- 1/4 to 1/2 onion
- 1-2 tbsp ginger slices
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2-3 star anise
- 1tbsp Szechuan pepper corn 花椒 (I did not have)
- 1-2 cinnamon
- Ingredients to pour hot oil into
- 30g pepper powder (can grind from different types of peppers, one type to add red color, one type to add numbness, one type to add spiciness)
- 10g pepper flakes, gives different texture
- sesame
- roasted peanuts, chopping peanut is optional
Process:
- medium or medium high temperature to heat up 1.5 cup oil
- when there is some smoke coming out, add ingredients to fry in oil
- CAREFUL! green onion, ginger and onion still have water and might splash oil
- remove oil from heat when onion turns yellow/brownish
- carefully sieve the oil into another pan or container
time to move from heat! 
- add sesame in hot oil and let the remaining heat fry sesame for 1 min
- stir in peanuts, pepper powder and pepper flakes
- this is SAFER than pouring hot oil in these ingredients
Cool down and cover with lid. Enjoy!
