Elevate Your Dishes with Homemade Crispy Chilli Oil. This classic Asian condiment gets a makeover from a naturopath here š Enjoy it as a flavouring topping on snacks, rice and noodle dishes, meat and more. It’s sweet and spicy chilli oil to warm up your digestive system this winter. A base of rich and silky aromatic oil infused with cinnamon and star anise literally peppered with freshly harvested chillies and eastern spices and enriched with fermented black beans. It’s amazing!Ā Ā
Crispy chilli oil (also known as crunchy chilli oil) is an exotic blend of aromatic spices, dried chillies, and crispy bits that add a delicious spicy crunch to your meals. More traditional versions include black beans which are a great building and fortifying food. They’re can help you regain your strength and vigour if you’ve been sick, or if you’re underweight, or suffering from a chronic illness.Ā
Chilli
A little bit about Chilli (Capsicum annuum) This plant is heating and pungent. You can use it to revitalize a sluggish, heavy and slow digestive system. How would you know if your digestion needs a little boost? Look for bloating after eating, burping, hiccups after eating, upper abdominal distension and flatulence.Ā
Herbalists use Chilli as a medicinal herb for arthritis, chronic inflammation (but don’t use it if you have damaged gut mucosa as in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease as it might irritate), candida, bloating, flatulence, distension and stomach fullness. Chillies are rich in vitamins A, C and E, and they have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, circulation boosting as well as anti-microbial action to helps us fight infections. Research shows supplementation with chilli significantly lowers bad cholesterol levels in patients with metabolic syndrome and may assist in weight loss. In fact it’s been given the status of an anti-diabetic agent.
It suppresses the production of glucose of the liver, helping to reduce blood glucose levels. Studies into the use of chilli as an anti-tumour agent looking promising. It prevents oral cancer and inhibits cancer cell proliferation in leukemia, breast, pancreatic and skin cancers. (Most studies are in vitro so far.)
So let’s make some crispy chilli oil!
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First dry the chillies, and when you’ve got your fresh chillies and dried chillies, you can start chopping the shallots and garlic. If you grow your own chillies (well done you!) then you’ll want to dry them to make the chilli flakes, and keep 5 pieces aside to use fresh. Allow yourself a day to dry them, or if air drying, a few days. Once theyāre dried, chop them up as finely as you can.
Check out my cute Amazon dehydrator. There are some great dehydrators out there, but if you don’t use it frequently, just grab one online. Mine was less than $35 around 10 years ago and still works well.
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Next get the saucepan mix on the stove. Blend your oils with the shallots and garlic and fresh chillies and let it gently simmer (very gently!) for 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes are up, add in the sesame seeds and black beans and cook for another 10 minutes. While it’s cooking prepare the bowl mix (which will be dry). The two are blended together to create the final delicious oil.
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How can you resist something that looks this good and smells like sweet Asia š It brings back so many memories for me of growing up in Singapore and all the delicious meals we were treated to as children. And this sweet taste, it’s really nurturing. In fact in Chinese Medicine they use the sweet taste to strengthen you, nourish you and build you up so this sauce will be a great addition to a recovery diet. It’ll tonfiy your digestion particularly.
Spicy Sweet Crispy Chilli Oil
Equipment
- 1 Glass bowl
- 1 Small to medium saucepan
- 1 Strainer
Ingredients
To warm in saucepan
- 5 pcs Chillies ~ small, red chillies
- 2 stalk Shallot
- 1 bulb Garlic
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 pc Star Anise
- 3/4 cup Organic Safflower oil
- 3/4 cup Sesame Oil
To add towards the end of cooking
- 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup Fermented Black Beans buy at Asian grocery store
To combine in a bowl
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Szechuan Peppers
- 1/4 cup dried Chilli flakes
- 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Panela Sugar or similar
- 1/2 tsp Himalaya Pink Salt
Instructions
- If needed, dry your fresh chillies either by air (few days) or with a dehydrator (overnight) to make the chilli flakes.
- Prepare the saucepan mixture by blending the fresh chillies, shallot, garlic, cinnamon, star anise and oils together. Warm on medium heat - don't let it boil though, aim for a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the saucepan blend is cooking, prepare the bowl mix by adding the paprika, Szechuan peppers, chilli flakes, soy sauce, panela and salt in a glass bowl.
- After 15 minutes, remove the saucepan mix from heat, add in the sesame seeds and fermented black beans. It'll be smelling pretty amazing by now, sweet, aromatic and exotic. Put back on heat for another 10 minutes.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and pour into the glass jar bowl containing the bowl mix of powders and Szechuan peppers. Stir to combine. Leave overnight (let it cool a bit then pop it in the fridge).
- I store mine in the fridge and it lasts for months. If you keep it at room temperature, expect it to last a month but make sure the solid ingredients are always covered by oil.
Sze (2023)
Crispy chilli oil is a must-have addition to any healing kitchen. The tastes and qualities of this oil are perfect for cooler seasons, targeting the digestive system and haveing a warming effect to boost function and strengthen digestive power. I hope you love this recipe, but also you might like to vary it to suit you and your specific needs. By crafting your own homemade version, you can fully control the flavors and unleash your creativity in the kitchen.
If you suffer from chronic arthritic pain for instance, make the chilli component stronger. If you’re trying to strengthen your body up or if you’re recovering from an infection or illness, try increasing the Black Bean content.
From noodles and stir-fries to soups and marinades, this versatile condiment adds a delightful crunch and a fiery kick to a variety of dishes. So, don’t be afraid to experiment and let crispy chilli oil take your recipes to new heights of flavor. Get ready to enjoy a culinary adventure with every spoonful!
Some great ways to use your Spiced Sweet Crispy Chilli oil are:
- as a topping on toast with goats cheese, avocado and fresh rocquette
- as a topping on poke bowls or added to chunks of tofu (pan fried or deep fried or baked are all great options)
- a dash added to roasted green veges like broccoli and zucchini (the best!)
- a tsp stirred into stir fries to add sweet, warm flavour, especially Lemongrass or Ginger flavours
- to add to noodle salads and dishes. It goes really well with egg noodles.
- as a dip for gyoza, dumplings, wonton and similar snack foods
- as a topping on your next batch of scrambled or poached eggs
- added as a topping to Chinese rice porridge (congee) which is a great recovery and building food
- as a flavouring condiment on steamed fish
You might like to check out some amazing recipes using this chilli oil on GoodFood.Ā
Hey there!Ā Welcome to my world of totally natural and powerful healing medicines. Medicines from nature. Medicine from Source. I’m a naturopath and herbalist with extensive clinical experience working with a range of health conditions including hormonal, metabolic, mental health, sleep and more.
I’ve brought together years of clinical and teaching experience, academic skill and curiosity to bring you this blog. I hope you enjoy it! If you do, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
