「Chili Oil」

Ingredients and amounts

• 1 head garlic
• 100g dried chili flakes
• 5g salt
• 15g toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 Thai bird's eye chili
• 150ml peanut oil (or rapeseed oil as substitute)
• 10g five-spice powder (optional)
• 1 black cardamom (optional)
• 3-5 scallions (optional)
• 30g sugar
• 5ml white vinegar

Step-by-step method

1. 1

   Step 1

   Peel 2 cloves from the garlic head.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Finely mince the garlic cloves and the Thai bird's eye chili on a cutting board.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Pour the peanut oil into a bowl.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Heat the oil and add the optional aromatics and scallions. Once the aromatics turn dark, remove and discard them.

5. 5

   Step 5

   Pour the oil from the bowl into a wok and heat for 2 minutes (if using rapeseed oil, heat until it smokes).

6. 6

   Step 6

   Prepare an empty heatproof bowl.

7. 7

   Step 7

   In the empty bowl, combine the dried chili flakes, white sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced Thai chili, salt, five-spice powder, and black cardamom as the 'seasoning base'.

8. 8

   Step 8

   Turn off the heat and let the oil cool to 210°C (410°F).

9. 9

   Step 9

   Pour the hot oil from the wok into the bowl with the seasoning base and stir with a spoon. (For extra heat, you can also pour oil at 165°C/330°F into a second bowl of the same seasoning mix and combine later.)

10. 10

    Step 10

    After pouring the hot oil and stirring briefly, add the white vinegar. The mixture will bubble up again. Continue stirring; the vinegar enhances the aroma.

11. 11

    Step 11

    Let the chili oil cool to warm, then add the sugar and MSG (if using). The sugar mellows the spiciness and reduces harshness.