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Sauce recipe

Sichuan Red Chilli Oil

Hong you, the smooth red chilli oil behind Sichuan wontons, cold noodles and smashed cucumber.

Sichuan Red Chilli Oil
The ratio
  • 8 partsNeutral oil
  • 4 partsChilli flakes
  • 1 partSichuan pepper
What you need
  • 1/2 cup (about 30g) Sichuan chilli flakes, or gochugaru mixed with a little regular chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp ground Sichuan pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 cup (250ml) neutral oil
  • 2 star anise
  • 5cm piece cassia or cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 2 spring onions, cut into lengths
Makes
About 300ml
Ready in
15
Keeps
3 months in a sealed jar, in a cool dark cupboard
How to make it
  1. Put the chilli flakes, ground Sichuan pepper, salt, sugar and sesame seeds in a heatproof jar or bowl.
  2. Put the oil in a small saucepan with the star anise, cassia, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, ginger and spring onion. Heat gently for about 10 minutes until the spring onion is golden. Do not let it smoke.
  3. Strain the oil. Bring it back up to about 180°C and pour a third of it over the chilli flakes. It will sizzle hard.
  4. Let the rest of the oil cool to about 130°C and pour it in. Stir well.
  5. Cool completely, then seal. It tastes better the next day.
About this sauce

Sichuan red chilli oil, hong you, is the base sauce of Sichuan cooking. Unlike chilli crisp oil, which is all crunchy bits, hong you is about the oil: brick red, fragrant and warm rather than blisteringly hot, with the chilli flakes settled at the bottom of the jar.

The method is simple. Infuse neutral oil with whole spices, then pour it over chilli flakes and ground Sichuan pepper in two goes: hotter first for toastiness, cooler second for colour. Your kitchen will smell incredible.

What to put it on

Wontons and dumplings, cold noodles, smashed cucumber, silken tofu, poached chicken and noodle soup.

It is the 'chilli oil' in hong you chaoshou, liangpi, chilli oil dumpling soup and the dipping bowl for jiaozi. Spoon it over smashed cucumber or dan dan noodles. Read about Sichuan pepper.

Uses this sauce

Recipes that call for this sauce. Make a batch and cook one of these.

Pairs well with

Dishes this sauce suits. These recipes make their own glaze or dressing, so you can swap this sauce in.