Making homemade chili oil is easy and so much better than store bought as you have control of the ingredients. Chili oil can be drizzled over rice dishes, dumplings, noodles, eggs, meats, vegetables or stews for an extra kick of spice. You can pretty much add chili oil to everything!
Chinese chili oil may include ingredients such as star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, salt and Sichuan chili flakes infused in oil.
This Korean version includes sliced garlic, ginger, green onions, and shallots with gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes) infused in oil. Slicing the aromatics releases more flavor to the oil. This chili oil is also clear and doesn’t include the chili pepper flakes but feel free to add it without straining if you prefer.
The chili oil will keep 2 months in the fridge to drizzle over your favorite foods. Just remember to always use a clean utensil when handling to prevent spoilage.
Add the oil, ginger, green onion, garlic and shallot into a saucepan. Heat on medium to start until the oil starts to bubble (you'll hear it sizzling from the moisture of the aromatics). Reduce heat to low and heat for about 20 minutes to infuse the aromatics in the oil. You should see some bubbles from the aromatics. If you don't see any, increase the heat a bit. If they start to turn dark quickly, reduce the heat as it's too high. (When you pour the oil over gochugaru, it should be hot enough to toast them but not so hot that it burns) Meanwhile, add gochugaru into a heat safe bowl, large enough to fit 1 1/2 cups of oil ( or quantity you're making). Carefully pour the hot oil over gochugaru through a strainer, discarding the aromatics. Stir to evenly distribute the heat of the oil. Let sit for about 15 minutes to develop flavoring and color. Then strain the oil into a container or you can add some gochugaru if you prefer. Cool and store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 months. Always use a clean utensil when handling to prevent spoilage. The chili oil will keep at room temperature ONLY IF the jar was sterilized before adding the chili oil. Otherwise, store in the fridge.
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Instructions
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