This chilli oil is SO good, I sometimes eat it straight out of the jar. This is a riff on a Hetty McKinnon recipe, the biggest differences is that I have omitted ginger, included some MSG and blended the sichuan peppercorns. I hate chomping down on those little guys. It is the worst.

In our house the most common use for chilli oil is on eggs, or in my favourite dipping sauce - just mix with black vinegar and a drop of light soy sauce, perfect for dunking dumplings or egg noodles. Mix with mayo for a zhoushed up sandwich spread, or pour over cucumbers with some rice vinegar and sugar for a tangy, crunchy side dish.

Ingredients:

2 tblsp chilli flakes (any will do, test the heat prior as this is where the spice is really going to be coming from)
2 tblsp gochugaru flakes (Korean red pepper - you can buy on Amazon if there is no local grocer)
2 tblsp sichuan peppercorns
1 tblsp salt
1/2 tsp MSG

250ml vegetable oil
1 garlic clove - roughly chopped
1 star anise
1/2 cinnamon stick

Method:

Step 1 -
Toast your sichuan peppercorns in a dry fry pan till fragrant and then grind till coarse, combine with the gochugaru, chilli flakes, salt and msg in a heatproof bowl

Step 2 -
Heat your oil, garlic, star anise and cinnamon in a small saucepan or skillet for 2-3 minutes on medium high. Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn - bringing it up to temp from cold in the oil will aid this.

Step 3 -
Pour the hot oil over your dry spices and leave to cool

Step 4 -
Jar and serve.

Notes:
- Do I need MSG? No, but it makes it very umami-forward and gives you a taste that is similar to a store bought chilli oil.
- You can store this on the counter or in the fridge, it lasts a good while (if you don’t eat it all)
- If you don’t have a mortar and pestle to grind your sichuan peppercorns, you can cover with a paper towel and beat with a rolling pin, pulse in a nutri-bullet or crushed gently with the bottom of a pan.