Homemade: crispy chili oil

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Crispy chili oil is perhaps one of the tastiest seasonings you can have in your home. It is spicy, crunchy, savory, and packed with flavor. Delicious over noodles, dumplings, fried rice, pizza, eggs, or even a simple fried slice of bread.

Moreover, making it yourself is surprisingly simple. All you have to do is pour piping hot oil over a mixture of chili flakes, garlic, ginger, and spices. The oil brings out all the aromas and creates that irresistible scent and taste that crispy chili oil is so well known for.

Ingredients

350 ml sunflower oil
1 coffee cup of chili flakes
1 bulb of garlic
3 cm fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp MSG (monosodium glutamate)

Preparation

Chop or grind the garlic and ginger as finely as possible.
Mix the garlic, ginger, chili flakes, salt, sugar, and MSG in a heatproof bowl.
Heat the sunflower oil until it just begins to smoke.
Carefully pour the hot oil over the chili mixture. Be careful: the oil will bubble vigorously.
Stir everything together well and let the chili oil cool completely.
Spoon the crispy chili oil into clean, airtight jars.

Tips

Use good quality chili flakes. A mix of coarse and fine flakes ensures the best texture.

MSG is a natural flavor enhancer widely used in Asian cuisine. You can omit it, but it is precisely this that gives the chili oil that deep, savory umami flavor.

Always use a completely dry spoon when scooping chili oil from the jar. This way, it will stay good for much longer.

Save

Store the crispy chili oil in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator. It will keep for approximately 2 months. Stir briefly before use, as the oil and solid ingredients may separate slightly over time.