Servings: 0.5 cup
Easy Chili Oil Recipe
This simple chili oil recipe requires only several ingredients: oil, pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, and salt. The chili oil is perfect for dumplings, noodles, salads, and pretty much any dish that you think can use a bit of spice. 2024 Note: I’ve modified the recipe below from a previous version to create a smaller batch of chili oil. If you want to see the previous version of the recipe, see note 1.
Equipment
- heat-proof vessel (stainless steel bowl, a thick ceramic bowl, or a saucepan; do not use a glass or thin porcelain bowl)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), see note 2
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, medium spice (use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for a less spicy chili oil)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or use 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup (78mL) canola, safflower, or any neutral oil
Instructions
- Add the gochugaru and then the chili flakes into your heat-proof vessel. Then, add the minced garlic, ginger, and salt. I like to put the chili flakes at the bottom to keep them from burning later.
- Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat on medium to medium-high heat for 3 minutes. The temperature should reach somewhere between 325ºF to 340ºF. When you gently swirl the oil inside the saucepan, the oil should look thin, just like the consistency of water. Turn off the heat.
- Carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the spices. The oil will sizzle a lot when it first hits the spices and then fizzle as it cools. Let the oil reach room temperature (about 20 to 30 minutes). If you are apprehensive about pouring hot oil into a bowl, add the spices into another saucepan and pour the hot oil into the second saucepan. (See note 4 for explanation about why I pour hot oil over spices)
- Give the oil a stir before serving. See headnote for serving suggestions. To store, transfer the oil into a clean jar and refrigerate. Try to use the oil within 2 weeks.
Notes
- Older Version: Ingredients: 1 tablespoons red pepper flakes (medium spice ones from grocery stores is fine); 5 tablespoons gochugaru, (Korean pepper flakes); 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger; 5 to 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 cup canola or other neutral oil. Because of the larger quantity of oil, it may take up to 4 minutes to heat up.
- Where to Find Gochugaru: You can find gochugaru in Korean grocery stores or on Amazon. If you can’t find gochugaru, you can substitute it with Aleppo pepper, which has a smoky flavor that will be nice for the oil. Note however, that Aleppo pepper is spicier than gochugaru, so you may want to halve the amount.
- Chili Flakes: The chili flakes are the red pepper flakes that you can find in the spice aisles of your grocery store. They should have a medium level of spice. I usually buy chili flakes from The Allspicery, which is a Sacramento spice shop.
- Why Hot Oil Over Spices: Many people have asked me why I don’t throw all the spices into the saucepan with the heated oil. That’s because the saucepan retains a lot of heat. Consequently, when you pour the spices into the hot saucepan, some of the spices can burn, especially the gochugaru, making the oil bitter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.8g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 14.1g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Sodium: 146mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 0.3g
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