Addictive Chilli Oil Crisp You’ll Want to Use Everyday

The most fragrant, addictive chilli oil crisp recipe, that will finally satisfy your cravings. Delicious drizzled on noodles or mixed into sauces.

This recipe is near and dear to me because it’s a fundamental flavour in my MOST addictive recipes (like my 10 min chilli oil noodles recipe). I love adding a spicy kick to my foods but many of the chilli oils I’ve tasted, store-bought or even at restaurants, never quite hit the spot. Most of them weren’t even spicy and lacked that aromatic kick I crave.

My desire to make a good-tasting chilli oil grew and so did my freezer’s stash of chilli peppers from my parent’s garden. I knew it was time to make the best chilli oil I’ve ever tasted!

This process took a lot of trial and error but the final result has gotten my whole family addicted! For a while, I was pulling it out of the fridge for every meal. Honestly, I’m proud of the result and I’ve simplified and made changes to the recipe so that hopefully you can enjoy it in your home too!

Choosing the right chilli peppers:

Not surprisingly, this is the backbone of how your chilli oil will taste and what’s going to separate this recipe from the others. Many recipes only use preground chilli flakes. As a dried good, it lacks flavour and provides hardly any spice. I opted to go the extra mile and dry the chillis from my parent’s garden myself. This added such a rich spicy yet fruity scent.

The chillis on top are the homegrown ones, which were the most fragrant and flavourful. (Highly recommended but sadly I’m not sure what they are called. On the left, are long Thai green chillis. They also had a nice chilli aroma and spice. This would be my second-best choice! The right side is the typical Thai chilli you can find. However, they have a slightly sour taste and less flavour. I would try a nibble before I use these again.

I recommended Thai chilli in this recipe because it’s quite accessible and has a fair spice level. If you grow your own or your market offers better options go ahead and use those! Please taste-test your chilis for spice and aroma prior to making your oil. Just take a small nibble to taste and smell. You want something that has the spiciness level you want and the aroma you want, whether it be fruity or floral. I bought a batch of bland red Thai chillies from the store before and of course, my chilli oil turned out bland!

Drying and grinding your chillies:

First, cut your chillies length-wise with kitchen scissors. Then remove the stem portion. Once you have done that to all of your chillies you can start the drying process. If you aren’t in a rush, you can simply lay them flat on a baking sheet to fully air dry over the next few days. This is the method I use usually because I have a lot of them to dry at once from the garden crop. If you want to speed up the process, you can set your oven to the lowest setting and bake them until fully dehydrated. Once they are fully dried out, you can pulse blend them until they are a similar size to red pepper flakes. Alternately, crush them with your preferred method. Ie. mortar and pestle, rolling pin and freezer bag.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chilli flakes

6 long green Thai chillies ( cut and dried- see the note above* ) – you may adjust the amount to your spice tolerance

6 cloves garlic thinly sliced OR 1/4 cup store-bought fried garlic bits

3 shallots thinly sliced OR 1/4 cup store-bought fried shallots

1 tbsp frozen or fresh lemongrass (key ingredient please do not skip)

1/2 tsp msg

1.5 cups canola oil 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp chicken bouillon ( Lee Kum Kee brand preferred, but if not using an Asian brand add less salt)

1 tsp sugar 

1 tbsp sesame seeds 

1. In a large heat-proof bowl add 1 tbsp lemongrass, 1/2 tsp msg, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 1/4 cup chilli flakes and your prepared Thai chillies. ( 1/4 cup each of fried shallots and fried garlic bits if you are using store-bought)

2. Pour 1.5 cups of canola oil into a saucepan. Add the 6 cloves of thinly sliced garlic and the 3 thinly sliced shallots, while the oil is still cold. (Heat only the oil if you are using a store-bought alternative and skip steps 3+4+6)

3. Heat the saucepan at medium heat, occasionally stirring until the ingredients are golden brown.

4. Strain out the crispy shallots and garlic then set aside.

5. Pour the slightly cooled oil over the ingredients in the large bowl carefully. (It should bubble if you put a piece of chilli in it but be careful we don’t want any of the ingredients to burn)

6. Once it’s cooled, add back the crispy shallots and garlic.

7. Transfer room temperature chilli oil to a jar for storage. (I like to sit at least overnight for the oil to infuse prior to enjoying)

Remember the recipe is very flexible. If you like more garlic add more if you don’t like it not as spicy add less fresh chillis. Feel free to make it your own!