Tips

Dried Chili is the “star” of the chili oil jar, but without these 6 essential ingredients, it won’t be as delicious.

Making Sichuan chili sauce may seem easy, just pour hot oil over ground dried chili, and you'll have a jar of visually appealing and spicy Sichuan chili sauce. However, ground dried chili is not the only ingredient you need to make a truly flavorful jar of Sichuan chili sauce; you need to add six more ingredients to achieve the perfect taste.

Administrator

15 October, 2023

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Sichuan Chili Sauce is an essential part of Vietnamese cuisine. It is just as important as fish sauce in many dishes. This is a mixture of two main ingredients, oil and ground dried chili peppers, creating a seasoning for food, added to bowls of noodles, and soups. The spicy taste of the chili peppers truly stimulates the taste buds, making the food even more flavorful.

If you are someone who enjoys spicy and strong flavors, you should make your own jar of chili sauce. It is guaranteed to be much tastier than buying a jar of chili sauce from the store. You will not find this special flavor in the chili sauces sold in stores. However, in order to create that special flavor, the ingredients cannot only be ground dried chili peppers and cooking oil, but also 6 other familiar spices.

The necessary ingredients for a special jar of chili sauce. (Photo: omnivorescookbook)

You will need the following ingredients:

– 4 tablespoons of ground dried chili peppers

– 2 teaspoons of five spice powder

– 3 tablespoons of roasted white sesame seeds

– 1 teaspoon of black pepper

– 2 star anise

– 2 bay leaves

– 200g of cooking oil

– 1 thin slice of ginger

Instructions:

– First, put all the dry ingredients (except for the ginger) into a heat-resistant bowl. It is best to use a ceramic bowl because it can withstand heat better than a glass bowl.

(Photo: omnivorescookbook)

– Heat the oil and add the ginger. When the ginger starts to turn brown and wrinkled, turn off the heat immediately. If you use a thermometer, you can adjust the temperature to around 190°C and not exceed 200°C.

– Gently and carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the dry ingredients. At this point, when the hot oil meets the other ingredients, foaming will appear. While the oil is still foaming, use a metal spoon to mix all the ingredients together to help them blend together faster.

When the oil is foaming, use a metal spoon to mix all the ingredients together to help them blend together faster. (Photo: omnivorescookbook)

– Let the oil cool slightly, then remove the star anise and bay leaves.

Now the chili sauce is ready to use. However, it is best to use it the next day, as the flavors of the ingredients have truly dissolved into the oil. You can keep the chili sauce in a tightly sealed jar at room temperature for about 2 weeks or 6 months in the refrigerator.