Crispy Chilli Oil

Everyone has a jar of crispy chilli oil in the fridge these days, but the homemade version is a different animal. You control the heat, the crunch and the balance, and the smell of hot oil hitting the aromatics is worth the effort alone. This is more about the crispy bits than outright fire. It goes on eggs, noodles, dumplings, rice, pizza and, in moments of weakness, straight off the spoon.

Ingredients

• 400ml groundnut oil
• 6 banana shallots
• 8 garlic cloves
• 50g dried chilli flakes (gochugaru or Sichuan flakes, not the nuclear stuff)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt

Method

1. Slice the shallots and garlic as thinly and evenly as you can (a mandolin helps)
2. Add the shallots to the cold oil in a saucepan and bring up to a medium heat
3. Fry gently, stirring often, until they’re golden and the bubbling has mostly subsided, then scoop them out onto kitchen roll
4. Add the garlic to the same oil and fry until pale gold (it will keep cooking after it comes out, so pull it early), then scoop out onto kitchen roll
5. Add the star anise and cinnamon to the oil and heat until it reaches around 180°C
6. Put the chilli flakes, sesame seeds, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl
7. Remove the star anise and cinnamon, then carefully pour the hot oil over the chilli mixture (it will foam and sizzle, this is the good bit)
8. Stir in the soy sauce and leave to cool completely
9. Crumble the crispy shallots and garlic back in and stir well
10. Transfer to a sterilised jar and store in the fridge for up to a month

Notes

Adding the crispy bits after the oil has cooled is what keeps them crispy. Add them while it’s hot and they’ll slowly go soggy in the jar.

The chilli flakes matter. Gochugaru gives colour and gentle warmth, Sichuan flakes bring fragrance. Standard crushed chillies from the supermarket spice rack will make something much hotter and much less interesting.

Inspiration

Lao Gan Ma’s legendary chilli crisp is the benchmark, and this sits alongside the herb oil in the flavoured oil hall of fame.