The Ultimate Guide to Sichuan Chili Oils

Hong You Lajiao, Lajiao You, You Lazi
(红油辣椒，辣椒油，油辣子)

Chili Oil (aka Red Oil) is a staple of Sichuan ingredients. High-quality oil is infused with a deliciously spicy blend of dried red chilies, numbing Sichuan Pepper, and tantalizing aromatics.

Sichuan Chili Oil can be divided into three basic categories: Chili Oil with Chili Flakes, Pure Chili Oil, and Oil Chili Flakes. The recipe listed below shows how to make all three. Chili Oil with Chili Flakes is simply the Chili Oil prior to straining the Chili Flakes. Pure Chili Oil is the oil with all of the Chili Flakes removed. Oil Chili Flakes, also known as Chili Crisps, are the Chili Flakes separated from most of the oil. All three of these are used in Sichuan cooking in various ways.

But first we need to discuss the star of the show, Sichuan Chilies.

Sichuan Chili Oil is usually made from a blend of two or three different chilies. One chili will be for heat while the other(s) are for fragrance, flavor, and color. Er Jing Tiao (二荆条) is usually the fragrant chili and Facing Heaven Chili Peppers (朝天椒) are used for heat. Seven Star Chilies (七星椒), which is a slightly different variety of Facing Heaven Chili Pepper, is also a great option for Chili Oil. They're often just a bit spicier than Facing Heaven Chili Peppers, but with an almost identical flavor. Bullet Head Chilies (子弹头) can also be used for both color and fragrance in place of Er Jing Tiao Chilies.

From Left to Right: ErJingTiao, Heavenly Chili, and Lantern Chili

I would like to breakdown the flavor profiles of the three chilies used in the following recipe:

• Er Jing Tiao Chili: Fragrant with a bit of spiciness and just a touch of sweetness. The long chili has almost a subtle fruitiness.
• Facing Heaven Chili Pepper: Pure spicy; not much else to say about it. It's red hot.
• Lantern Chili: Quite spicy with a distinct almost tomato-like flavor. Whereas the heat from a Facing Heaven Chili Pepper hits immediately, Lantern Chili’s spiciness grows in intensity overtime.

Understanding the flavors and types of chilies used in Sichuan Chili Oil will help in cases where certain chilies are unavailable. Furthermore, once the fundamentals of making chili oil is mastered, this understanding allows one to experiment, customize, and create unique, amazing chili oils.

The next thing that needs to be discussed is oil. So, what kind of oil should you use? This depends entirely on what’s available; however, it must be a pure, high-heat oil. (No olive oil or blended oils). Traditionally, a type of Virgin Rapeseed Oil (菜籽油) unique to Sichuan is used. This oil, however, is nearly impossible to source outside of China. The second-best oil to use would definitely be Peanut Oil. Why? Not only is it a common cooking oil used in Sichuan, but it’s also available nearly everywhere. Peanut Oil is relatively inexpensive and its flavor works well with the spicy chilies.

Black Cardamom

Chili Oil isn’t just about spicy, peppery flavors. Commonly infused with the oil is the classic Chinese Five Spice blend: Cassia Bark, Cloves, Star Anise, Sichuan Pepper, and Fennel Seeds. These spices add a fragrant pop of flavor alongside the blazing heat. Other popular Chinese spices, such as Black Cardamom, Bay Leaves, and Cumin Seeds, are often used in addition to or as substitutes for these standard aromatic spices. You can even sample the spices used in Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder to customize your Sichuan Chili Oil, making it truly one of kind.

Along with these spices, further aromatics are sometimes added in the form of Chinese Medicine. These are usually dried roots or vegetables added for their fragrance and flavor, not for their possible medicinal value. Obviously, Chinese medicine and dried roots might be difficult or somewhat expensive to obtain outside of China, so I recommend these only as an extra way to make your Chili Oil unique.

(If unable to find any of these, simply add one tablespoon of sweet Hungarian paprika to the ground chilies before adding the hot oil).

Some special ingredients include:

Galangal Root & Cape Jasmine

• Dried Galangal Root (高良姜): Galangal root smells like incense - a little bit smoky and a little bit sweet.
• Cape Jasmine Bulb (黄栀子): This flower bulb smells a bit like trail mix - nutty, sweet, and a little fruity almost like a mix of peanuts, raisins, almonds, and granola.
• Sand Ginger (沙姜/ 山奈): Like dried galangal root, sand ginger has a woody almost incense-like smell but it's coupled with a distinct spicy ginger flavor and aroma.

Finally, there is one important item to discuss: time.

Chili Oil is easy to make, but does require a lot of time to prepare. Specifically, de-seeding all of the chilies. To be frank, it's a pain, but easy to do. Usually, to remove all the seeds, it takes me almost an hour. So, I break this into two half-hour sessions. First, I handle the Er Jing Tiao Chilies and remove all of the seeds. These are the largest amount of the chilies. Afterwards, I roast them in a wok along with the other chilies. By cutting and de-seeding them, the Er Jing Tiao will roast more evenly along with the rest of the chilies and have less of a chance to burn. You could, of course, de-seed all of the chilies and then roast them or even roast them and then de-seed them. But for me personally, I like to do it in stages. My advice, put on a good movie and get to work. (Don't forget to wear gloves!)

When adding the hot oil to the chili flakes, remember to add it in stages. Traditionally, the oil is added in three stages as it cools (一香，二红，三辣). The first pour is for flavor and fragrance; the second pour is for color; and, the third pour is for spiciness. In my recipe, I take this a step further. After the third pour, I add more chili flakes and pour the oil three more times. This ensures the maximum amount of flavor is drawn from the chilies and it ensures the Chili Oil is rich and complex.

Ingredients

Chilies
200 grams Er Jing Tiao Dried Red Chilies (二荆条干辣椒)
50 grams Dried Lantern Chilies (灯笼椒)
50 grams Dried Facing Heaven Chili Peppers (朝天椒) (OR Dried Seven Star Chilies七星椒)
30 grams Sichuan Pepper

Aromatics
1/2 bulb of Garlic
4-inch block of Ginger
4 whole stalks of Scallion (香葱)

Standard Spices
4 whole Star Anise
4 whole Cloves (AND / OR 3 dry Bay Leaves)
2 sticks of Cassia Bark (OR 1 stick of Cinnamon)
3 Tbsp. Fennel Seeds (AND / OR 3 Tbsp. Cumin Seeds)
2 Tbsp. Green Sichuan Pepper (AND / OR 2 Black Cardamom Pods Slightly Crushed)

Additional Spices (All Are Optional; Add Only 2 or 3 at Most)
5 White Cardamom Pods (Slightly Crushed)
3 slices of Angelica Root (白芷)
2 1-inch-long pieces of dried Galangal Root (高良姜)
1 bulb of Cape Jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides 黄栀子)
1-inch cube of Sand Ginger (沙姜)

2 liters of Peanut Oil

50 grams of Sesame Seeds

Directions

1.) Snip the Er Jing Tiao Chilies into 2-inch-long pieces and remove most of the seeds. Place the Er Jing Tiao pieces in a large bowl with the other Chilies (Facing Heaven Chili Peppers and Lantern Chilies) and Sichuan Pepper. This will be the bowl for Chilies.

2.) Peel and crush the Garlic. Roughly slice the Ginger and Scallions. Place the Garlic, Ginger, and Scallion into a second large bowl. This will be the bowl for Base Ingredients.

3.) Place all of the Standard Spices (Star Anise, Cloves, Cassia Bark, Fennel Seeds, and Green Sichuan Pepper) along with any Additional Spices (Galangal Root, Cape Jasmine Bulb, Sand Ginger, etc.) into a third large bowl. This will be the bowl for Spices.

(There should now be three bowls: Chilies, Aromatics, and Spices.)

4.) Heat a wok on high heat without any oil in it. Once hot, add the bowl of Chilies and stir-fry them quickly for just a few seconds to toast them. Remove the Chilies and allow them to cool.

(DO NOT burn the Chilies! As soon as you smell just the hints of fragrance, pull the wok away from the heat and use the residual heat in the wok to toast the Chilies. You can also do this in an oven at a low heat. It will take much longer, but you’ll be able to toast the Chilies more evenly and be less likely to burn them).

5.) Using the same hot wok, toast the Spices for just a few seconds until fragrant. Remove the Spices from the wok and allow them to cool.

(Again, DO NOT burn the Spices! Use an oven at a low heat to toast the Spices if wanting to reduce the likelihood of burning them).

6.) While the Spices cool, snip any of the uncut Chilies (such as Facing Heaven Chilies and Lantern Chilies) in half and remove most of the seeds. Place all of the Chilies in a blender and pulse for about 1 to 2 minutes until the contents resembles red chili flakes. Pour a little more than half of these into a large basin-like glass or metal bowl. Reserve the other half in a different bowl.

(Aim for removing about 90% of the seeds from the Chilies. The chili seeds do add more spiciness, but they also add bitterness to the Oil. Most of the flavor should come from the Chilies themselves and not the seeds).

7.) Heat around 2 liters of Peanut Oil on high heat until just starting to smoke. Turn off the heat and allow the Oil to cool just enough that there’s no smoke. Add the Aromatics and fry them for about 1 minute or until the Garlic is a beautiful golden brown. Remove the Aromatics and set them aside or discard them.

(Don’t discard the fried Garlic. While not a common ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, this fried Garlic is perfect for numerous western dishes).

8.) While the Oil is still hot, place the Sesame Seeds in a wire strainer and fry them in the strainer for about 1 minute until golden and toasted. Hold the strainer in one hand and wooden spoon in the other to stir-fry the Seeds inside the strainer. Set aside the fried Sesame Seeds for later.

9.) Immediately, add the Spices to the hot Oil and fry them for a few minutes to infuse the flavors with the oil. Remove and discard the Spices when finished.

(DO NOT burn the Spices. If the ingredients darken significantly remove them immediately; I suggest frying these inside a wire strainer similar to the Sesame Seeds. The goal is to use the residual heat from the hot oil to cook the Spices and infuse their flavor. However, if the Spices are not frying properly, turn on the heat to medium).

10.) Return the Oil to high heat until just before smoking. And, once the Oil is hot, turn off the heat.

(While the Oil is reheating prepare the Chili Flakes in their heat-proof bowl by making a large crater in the center).

11.) Use a large ladle to pour about 1 cup of extremely hot oil into the center of the crater. While the Chili Flakes sizzle dramatically, stir gently to temper the Chili Flakes and prevent them from burning.

12.) Allow the Oil in the wok to cool for about 1 minute and then add another cup of hot Oil, mixing gently. Wait another minute, add 1 more cup of oil, and mix gently.

13.) Pour the Chili Flakes from the other bowl on top of the Chili Oil mixture. Then, repeat this process 3 more times by adding about 1 cup of Oil, mixing, waiting 1 minute, and adding the next cup.

14.) Allow the Chili Oil with Chili Flakes to cool completely and then refrigerate them for at least 24 hours. At which time, the Chili Oil can be stored at room temperature or in a fridge.

AND that’s it!

You should now have about 2 liters of High-Quality Sichuan Chili Oil with Chili Flakes. But wait, there’s more! You actually have the potential at this point to make three great Sichuan products:

• Chili Oil with Chili Flakes (红油辣椒): Being the most basic and important form, this type of Chili Oil is already complete - just add the fried Sesame Seeds, mix, bottle, and store.
• Pure Chili Oil (辣椒油): Chili Oil in Sichuan is usually a mix of Chili Oil with Chili Flakes. BUT Pure Chili Oil is occasionally used in some dishes. If you would like Pure Chili Oil, simply strain the Chili Oil through a wire mesh to separate the Chili Oil from the Chili Flakes. Add the fried Sesame Seeds, mix, bottle and store.
• Oil Chili Flakes (油辣子) – These are traditionally made using the same process as Chili Oil, but with just enough Oil to coat the Red Chili Flakes. However, you can make this easier by simply using the leftover Chili Flakes, strained from Pure Chili Oil. After the Chili Flakes are separated from most of the Oil, simply add the fried Sesame Seeds, optionally add some fried Peanuts. Mix, bottle, and store.

Chili Oil with Chili Flakes and Pure Chili Oil

 

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