Crispy chilli oil
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + Cooling
- Easy
- Makes 500ml
Skip to ingredients
- 30 dried kashmiri chillies(see cook's notes)
- 2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 star anise
- 50g salted peanutsroughly chopped
- 2 thumb-sized pieces gingerfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 600ml groundnut oil
- 3 echalion shallotshalved and thinly sliced
- 10 cloves garlicthinly sliced
Method
step 1
Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut open the chillies then remove and reserve the seeds. Pulse (or grind with a pestle and mortar) the skins, discarding any stalks, until the consistency of shop-bought dried chilli flakes. Tip into a large bowl. Toast the szechuan peppercorns, cumin seeds and black peppercorns in a frying pan until smelling toasty, then tip into the spice grinder and whizz into a powder. Tip into the bowl with the star anise, peanuts, ginger, salt and sugar, as well as half of the reserved chilli seeds, or more if you prefer it hotter.
step 2
Heat the groundnut oil until shimmering and put a metal sieve over a heatproof bowl. Cook the shallots for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until crispy, golden and caramelised. Carefully pour the oil and shallots through the sieve into the bowl and leave to drain for a minute. Carefully pour the oil back into the pan and heat until shimmering again. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden, but not too dark, then pour through the sieve. Tip the shallots and garlic into the bowl with the chillies, and cool the oil for 10-15 minutes until warm but not hot, then pour this into the bowl and mix well.
step 3
Divide this between two 250ml sterilised jars and allow to cool completely. It is ready to eat once cool, but will keep in the fridge for a month.
