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One of my favourite condiments to make is chili oil because I love being able to customise what goes in to suit my taste. This one is an Easy Garlic Chili Oil with delicious bits of garlic and chiles soaked in an aromatic oil. I simply pour the hot oil into the garlic and chiles so they don’t crisp up the same way as cooking them down in oil (see my homemade chili garlic sauce/crisp recipe here).
HOW TO USE AND ENJOY THIS GARLIC CHILI OIL
You can use this garlic chili oil for anything and everything — think dipping sauces, over noodles, stir-fries, tofu dishes, salads, and more!
You can check out my dumpling dipping sauce recipe here, that’d be perfect with this chili oil!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS CHILI OIL
- garlic
- fresh chiles (I used siling labuyo)
- Chinese 5 spice powder
- gochugaru or Korean chili powder
- sugar
For the Oil
- dried bay leaf
- dried star anise
- 7-8 whole cloves (the spice)
- salt
- neutral oil
HOW TO MAKE THIS
- For the chiles and garlic, you can mince or crush these. I roughly cut mine up using a pair of scissors and pounded these using a mortar and pestle. You can add yours to a food processor and process until minced.
- Add the minced/processed garlic and chiles in a heat proof bowl or jar. Add in the 5 spice powder (if using), gochugaru or other chili powder.
- Spices and oil: Over medium heat, add the spices and salt in a small sauce pan. Add in the neutral oil. Leave over medium heat for the oil to heat up.
- Once small bubbles start to appear and you see the spices start to sizzle in the oil, you can lower the heat to low and keep it at a constant temperature to be sure the spices don’t burn.
- Leave for around 15-20 minutes to allow the spices to slowly infuse the flavours in the oil. You can infuse the spices longer (up to 1 hour) for optimal flavour. Ensure that the salt dissolves in the oil.
- After the spices infuse in the oil, increase the heat back to medium or medium high for 1-2 minutes. The oil should be very hot at this point. To test out the heat, you can add a small piece of garlic or chili and it should immediately sizzle in the oil when added.
- You can remove the spices in the oil or prepare a sieve over your bowl/bottle. Turn off the heat and remove the pan.
- Immediately pour the hot oil over the chiles, garlic, and seasoning. Enjoy the sizzle! Taste your chili oil and feel free to season with more salt, if desired.Mix well and allow to cool completely before covering the jar.
STORAGE TIPS
- To store, you can refrigerate it to prolong shelf life and just scoop some out at room temperature since the oils can solidiy. This is best enjoyed within a month.
- I go through this so fast though so it never really lasts that long. Be sure that all the chiles and garlic pieces are submerged in the oil.Also ensure that the jar is sealed tight.
YOU CAN ENJOY THIS CHILI OIL WITH:
- Wontons in Chili Broth
- Scallion and Sesame Buns
- Wonton Noodle Soup
- Crispy Wontons
- Vegetable Dumplings
- Chinese Chive Pies
Easy Garlic Chili Oil
One of my favourite condiments to make is chili oil because I love being able to customise what goes in to suit my taste. You can use this for anything and everything — think dipping sauces, over noodles, stir-fries, tofu dishes, salads, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 0.7 oz fresh chiles , I used siling labuyo (see notes for dried chiles)
- 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder optional, see notes
- 2 tsp gochugaru or Korean chili powder see notes
- 1 tsp sugar
Oil
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 dried star anise
- 7-8 whole cloves , the spice (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt or more, to taste
- 3/4 cup neutral oil
Instructions
- You can watch the video for a complete step-by-step.
- For the chiles and garlic, you can mince or crush these. I roughly cut mine up using a pair of scissors and pounded these using a mortar and pestle. You can add yours to a food processor and process until minced.
- Add the minced/processed garlic and chiles in a heat proof bowl or a clean dry jar. Add in the 5 spice powder (if using), gochugaru or other chili powder.
- Spices and oil: Over medium heat, add the spices and salt in a small sauce pan. Add in the neutral oil. Leave over medium heat for the oil to heat up and come to temperature, around 120C. Once small bubbles start to appear and you see the spices start to sizzle in the oil, you can lower the heat to low and keep it at a constant temperature to be sure the spices don't burn.Leave for around 20-30 minutes to allow the spices to slowly infuse the flavours in the oil. You can infuse the spices longer (up 40 mins) for optimal flavour. Ensure that the salt dissolves in the oil.
- After the spices infuse in the oil, increase the heat back to medium or medium high for 1-2 minutes. The oil should be very hot at this point. To test out the heat, you can add a small piece of garlic or chili and it should immediately sizzle in the oil when added. Turn off the heat.
- You can remove the spices in the oil or prepare a sieve over your bowl/bottle. Be careful with the hot oil.
- Pour the hot oil over the chiles, garlic, and seasoning. Enjoy the sizzle! Taste your chili oil and feel free to season with more salt, if desired.Mix well and allow to cool completely before covering the jar.
Storage Tips
- To store, you can refrigerate it to prolong shelf life and just scoop some out at room temperature since the oils can solidiy. This is best enjoyed within a month.I go through this so fast though so it never really lasts that long. Be sure that all the chiles and garlic pieces are submerged in the oil.Also ensure that the jar is sealed tight.
- Be sure to use a clean spoon or utensil every time you scoop some chili oil to prevent contamination and spoilage.
How to Enjoy
- Use this with your favourite dipping sauces, noodles, stir-fries, salads, cold tofu, and more!
WATCH Video
Notes
Neutral oil
- I recommend to use neutral oil that won’t overpower the overall flavour of this chili oil. Grapeseed, vegetable, peanut oils would be great.
5 Spice Powder
- For the 5 spice powder, you can substitute this with a pinch each of cinnamon powder and ground white pepper. Szechuan pepper powder would be a great too, if you have some! Or if you have whole ones, you can crush some.
Chili powder
- I use gocghugaru or Korean chili powder that’s mild in spice and has a sweet note. You can use other chill powder.
Can I use dried chiles?
- Yes! I recommend to mix up your chiles if you have access to a variety. I really love to use gochugaru or Korean chili pepper because of its bright red hue and its hint of sweetness.Â
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 1561kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 169g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 48g | Monounsaturated Fat: 107g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1174mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a rating or comment and share a photo on Instagram, and tag me @thefoodietakesflight or use #thefoodietakesflight 🙂
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This Post Has 8 Comments
Delicious!! I tripled to recipe so I could add it to my marinades for tofu. I do love my hot, spicy food!!
Glad you liked it Susan ◡̈ love spicy food too!!
Here’s my review 🙂
I don’t like eating spicy food but my partner loves it and I decided to try getting used to spicy food and adding a bit more spices into our dishes. This recipe was ideal since I could choose the level of spiciness.
I used spanish chilis, which are apparently the less spicy chiles available in my country and only used one. I used 6 cloves garlic instead of the whole head. I used sweet chili powder instead of Korean chili powder, and then finally subbed the sugar with agave sirup because I didn’t have sugar.
Well it is SO GOOD. I actually used more than half the same day I made it 😂 it’s clearly not spicy enough but holy tofu it is so tasty. So I will make some more soon, will triple the quantities and will add a bit more chili and chili powder! I’m very surprised and very happy. I will be using this all the time now and there is no way a cup of it could last me a month haha!
Thanks Jeeca!
Thank you Mika! So happy you gave this a try and love your choice of ingredients. Thanks so much for sharing it as well! ◡̈
How long does it last?
This can last months! I usually keep mine for 3-6 months but usually use it up way faster ◡̈
This is delicious. I just made this with my habanero chilli, some chilli’s I was given not sure what kind tho. I had a random container of chilli powder I also added in. This is definitely spicy but the good type of hot. I will definitely be making more.
Yay! Enjoy your chili oil! 🙂