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Chilli Oil

by Mel

How time flies! It’s already the new year and the team and I are here posting my second episode to the sambal series, which is, Chilli Oil! 

Now, some might say, hey, that’s not sambal. But, sambal does translate to “chilli sauce or paste” and in this case, many Singaporeans, including myself, enjoy Chilli Oil as a dipping sauce or as a topping sauce with dumplings or mantou – a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun.

Dried chilli

Like I mentioned in my first episode, there are so many different types of sambals such as, raw sambals, sambals that are cooked and sambals that are sweet. Chilli oil requires some cooking and some blending but the result is a fantastic red sauce that is nutty and extremely delicious. You may find yourself putting chilli oil on everything like your eggs, your instant noodles, pastas and porridge! That’s how addictive it is! Okay then, let’s get spicyyyy! 

Making chilli flakes using dried whole chillies.

Cooking Instructions

Making chilli oil at home consists of several steps but once you’ve understood them you’ll be making some every now and then. I’ll be dividing the recipe into 3 key steps, (1) the chilli paste, (2) the oil, and (3) the pouring of the oil

  1. Chili Paste

Typically when making a chilli oil, dried chillies are used. There will be two types of chillies in the recipe. The first one is chilli powder, mainly there to give that unmistakable bright red colour of chilli oil. The main flavour will be coming from the chilli flakes.

I highly recommend buying dried whole chillies (I’ve used Tianjin chillies) and grinding them on your own. Simply blitz the chillies up in a food processor or a blender. Doing this adds much more control to how you’d like your chilli oil to be. If you’re like me who enjoys a spicy kick, you can grind the whole chillies as they are. However, if you’re not so keen on the spice but still enjoy a little kick, you can cut up the dried chillies and toss away some of the seeds. 🔥

Chilli flakes, chilli powder and toasted sesame seeds in a bowl

In a large, heat-proof bowl, combine the fine chilli powder, chilli flakes, some toasted sesame seeds and salt. These sesame seeds will give an amazing nutty flavour to the  condiment. Pour in 3 tablespoons of oil and mix them altogether to create a paste.

2. The Oil

Now, in this condiment, the oil is another very important factor in this condiment. If you look up on the internet, you can see many different variations when preparing the oil. Some include a spread of spices while others simply just require heated and hot oil.

For this recipe, I’ll be adding a small cinnamon stick, a few star anise, garlic, ginger, coriander stalk, spring onion and sliced red onions. Grab a saucepan to heat up your cooking oil at medium-high heat. Once heated, add the aromatics and lower the heat to medium low. To ensure you’re not burning the aromatics, look for small bubbles hovering around the spices. Let that simmer and infuse for around 40 minutes.

Browned Aromatics

After about 40 minutes, you’ll find yourself with browned (not burnt!) aromatics floating on the lovely, infused oil. Have a strainer in hand and scoop all the fried aromatic bits out of the oil and discard them. And you’re ready for the final part! Pouring the oil!

3. Pouring the Oil

After you’ve removed all the aromatics, heat up the oil again back to high heat and let it come to almost smoking point. Bring your bowl of chilli paste close to the oil. Turn off the heat and scoop ladlefuls of hot oil into the bowl of chilli paste. Do this carefully and slowly as the oil is very hot and the chilli paste will sizzle and bubble up as you add the oil. Therefore it is important that your bowl is large enough so that there’s ample space for it to bubble up.

The sizzling of hot oil being poured into the mixture of chilli paste

Stir the chilli flakes and oil together to evenly distribute the heat. 

Leave it to cool outside at room temperature completely before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The chilli oil will be great for up to 6 months! And that’s it! A lovely, spicy condiment – try it on your sandwiches, pizzas and even your hot dogs!

Have fun with the condiment and enjoy it with anything you might like. With this Chilli Oil, I’ve prepared a Cold Noodle Salad that is light, refreshing and perfect for a hot day! It takes just very few minutes to whip up. If you’re looking for a fun and simple 10 minute recipe, you can hop onto the recipe here!

Chilli Oil
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Chilli Oil

Recipe by Mel
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients for chilli paste

  • 3 Tbsp of Spicy Chilli Flakes

  • 2 Tbsp of Chilli Powder

  • 4 Tsp of Toasted Sesame Seeds

  • 3 Tbsp Canola Oil

  • 1 tsp Salt

  • INGREDIENTS FOR OIL INFUSION

  • 200ml canola oil or other neutral oils

  • 1 cinnamon stick, about 3-4cm

  • 2 star anise

  • 3 whole garlic

  • 6-8 slices ginger

  • 2-3 bay leaves

  • 1 stalk coriander with stem, roots and leaves

  • 2 spring onions bulbs

  • ½ red onion, sliced

Directions

  • Cut dried chillies into smaller pieces and place into the food processor. Pulse until it turns into chilli flakes, however coarse or fine as you like.
  • In a large, heat-proof bowl, mix together 3 tbsp spicy chilli flakes, 2 tbsp chilli powder, 4 tsp of toasted sesame seeds, 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp of canola oil.
  • Once mixed into a paste, set aside.
  • In a sauce pan, pour in 1 cup of canola oil and heat the oil up to medium high heat.
  • Add in all the aromatics and spices into the hot oil.
  • Decrease the heat to medium low and maintain a simmering temperature where there are small bubbles hovering around the aromatics and spices.
  • Simmer for up to 40 minutes.
  • After 40 minutes, turn off the heat and with a strainer, pick up all the aromatics and spices and discard them.
  • When all aromatics and spices have been removed, reheat the oil on high heat and turn off just before it reaches smoking point.
  • Using a ladle, carefully scoop the hot oil and slowly pour over the bowl of chilli paste. Do this until you’ve used up all the oil and stir gently.
  • Cool the chilli oil completely before storing into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 months.

I really hope you’ll enjoy this spicy chilli condiment as much as I do! With Chinese New Year coming just around the corner, what better time to have a go at making this dip for your steamboat and dumplings during your reunion dinner. Have a go at it and tag me on my Instagram (@imeldawadhhwa) if you do! With that, I wish you a prosperous Lunar New Year filled with Abundance and Good Food! 

Don’t forget to check out the full video on YouTube and leave your recipe suggestions in the comments, below. 

Deliciously Yours, Mel!

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