Chilli Crisp Oil
The crunchy chilli oil that ends up on everything. Twenty-five minutes, and a jar lasts months.
Once you make chilli crisp yourself you stop rationing it. The shop-bought jars are excellent, but a homemade batch costs a fraction and lets you push the bits you actually want — more fried garlic, more crunch, less sugar.
The whole technique is one careful pour. Hot oil goes over the aromatics and chilli in stages so the flakes bloom and darken without catching. Too hot and it turns bitter in seconds, so keep a thermometer or your nerve close by.
- Combine both chilli flakes, the five spice, sugar, salt, MSG and sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl. Stir and set aside.
- Put the oil, sliced garlic, shallots, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise in a cold saucepan. Bring slowly up to a gentle sizzle over medium-low heat.
- Fry for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the garlic and shallots are pale gold. Pull them out with a slotted spoon before they go dark — they keep browning off the heat.
- Bring the oil to 190°C, then take it off the heat and let it drop to about 160°C.
- Pour a third of the oil over the chilli mixture. It will foam violently. Stir, wait 30 seconds, then add the rest in two more pours.
- Stir through the soy sauce and sesame oil, then return the fried garlic and shallots. Cool completely before jarring.
- 8 partsNeutral oil
- 2 partsChilli flakes
- 1 partFried garlic
- 1 partFried shallot
- 400ml neutral oil
- 6 tbsp coarse dried chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp gochugaru or Sichuan chilli flakes
- 1 whole head garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 star anise
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp MSG, optional
- 2 tsp flaky salt
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Fried eggs, plain rice, cold silken tofu, smashed cucumber, dumplings, instant noodles, roast vegetables and, unexpectedly, vanilla ice cream.
New to it? Read what chilli crisp actually is in the pantry glossary.