Chilli oil
Hot oil poured over chilli flakes and aromatics, left to infuse — red, toasty and fragrant as much as hot.
toasty · hot · fragrant
What to do with it
Classics built on it
VietnameseBún bò HuếThick, round rice noodles in a beef and pork broth sharp with lemongrass, deepened with fermented shrimp paste and reddened with chilli oil.No one here has made it yetHunanChangsha stinky tofuBlack squares of fermented tofu, deep-fried until puffed and crisp, then pierced and filled with a sauce of chilli, garlic, soy and sesame oil.No one here has made it yetBeijingInstant-boiled muttonPaper-thin slices of raw mutton swished for a moment in plain boiling water, in a chimneyed copper pot over charcoal, then dipped in a rich sesame sauce.No one here has made it yetBeijingBaoduBeef or lamb tripe cut into strips, dipped in boiling water for a few seconds until just crisp, and eaten with a sesame-paste sauce.No one here has made it yetSichuanChilli oil wontonsSilky pork wontons, folded small, in a pool of red chilli oil, soy, black vinegar and garlic.No one here has made it yetSichuanBobo chickenCold poached chicken and other morsels on bamboo skewers, steeped in a bowl of red chilli oil with Sichuan pepper, and paid for by the stick.No one here has made it yet Kinds
- Hong you (red oil)
- Strained, clear: for cold dishes and dumplings.
- Crispy chilli
- With the flakes, fried garlic and more in the jar.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Chinese grocers — or make it: the oil should be hot enough to sizzle the flakes, not burn them.
More seasonings and ferments