Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp

The world seems to be head-over-heels about chili crisp right now, so here’s our recipe for Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp.  We were never quite happy with commercially available chili crisps; they were either too salty, all heat but no flavor, not hot enough, too dry, or had too many undesirable ingredients (talking about you MSG).  Our Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp strikes a good balance of the various flavor elements incorporated in it and is not overly hot; feel free to add more Sichuan Chili flakes for more heat.  Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp adds delicious heat and flavor to many dishes and the oil, without the crisp, can be used as chili oil.  We recommend using Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp when preparing Sichuan Noodles with Pork.

Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Total Time: 35 minutes.  Yields 1 cup of Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups / 10 oz Cooking Oil (Peanut/Canola Oils blend recommended)
  • 2 oz fresh Garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
  • 1 oz fresh Ginger, peeled and trimmed
  • 2 Tbs Sichuan Chili* flakes
  • ½ tsp coarse Sea Salt
  • 1 Tb Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp granulated Sugar

Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp

Preparation:

  1. Cut the ginger into pieces approximating the size of the garlic cloves; combine in a food chopper or processor and process until finely minced.
  2. Pour the cooking oil into a heavy 1-quart sauce pan, preferably one which has a pouring spout. The sauce pan must be at least 1-quart or larger in volume.
  3. Add the minced garlic and ginger to the oil over a medium-low heat, cook at a gentle rolling boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the garlic is golden brown. This takes approximately 25 minutes.
  4. Add the Sichuan chili flakes and sea salt to oil, stir and continue to cook over a medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
  5. Combine the soy sauce and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  6. Very Important: Remove the sauce pan from the heat, then add the soy sauce/sugar to the pan. The oil will boil up furiously for about a minute or two.
  7. Stir with a wooden spoon and allow to cool before pouring the Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp into a glass jar. Cover and store in a dark, cool unrefrigerated place; it will keep for about a month if stored as directed without loss of flavor and color, though it’s so tasty you’ll likely finish it before a month passes.

*Note:

  • Sichuan Chili flakes are really essential to prepare this recipe. They may be purchased on-line and at Asian supermarkets and grocery stores.