Katsuobushi Chilli Oil (Chilli Crisp)
Easy to make, delicious chilli oil flavoured with katsuobushi, Japanese dried bonito flakes, perfect as a condiment and ingredient.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 12 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 250 ml vegetable oil (or any flavourless oil)
- 2 clove garlic
- 2.5 cm ginger
- 12 non smoky dried red chillies
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 star anise
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 15 g roasted peanuts (salted is fine, but not flavoured)
- 10 g katsuobushi flakes
- 2-3 tbsp chilli flakes (non smoky, so no chipotle flakes)
- 1/4 tsp salt (as necessary)
Instructions
- 1
Peel the garlic but leave them whole.Peel and slice the ginger roughly.
- 2
Using a pair of scissors, cut the dried chillies in 2-3 pieces, depending on their lengths.
- 3
Using a small frying pan, lightly toast the sesame seeds on low heat for 2-3 minutes until you get a nutty aroma off them and they turn a light beige colour. We don't want brown.Tip out onto a cool saucer to stop them from browning further.
- 4
Using a pestle and mortar or food chopper, pound/chop the peanuts to a semi-coarse grind.
- 5
Place the oil, garlic, ginger, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low heat.
- 6
When the oil comes to a simmer, lower the heat right down and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 7
At the end of 10 minutes, take it off the hot hob and leave everything to infuse for 2 minutes.
- 8
While the oil is infusing, place the katsuobushi in a medium bowl and have all the ingredients in B at hand.
- 9
Get a medium-sized metal strainer, and strain your hot oil quickly all over the katsuobushi. Stir to thoroughly coat the flakes and to heat them through to soften.
- 10
Add the chilli flakes, sesame seeds and crushed peanuts and stir well.Taste and add salt as you see fit. Katsuobushi flakes are salty, so you may not need much, or any. To taste, get a small fork and fish out a tiny portion. Just tasting the oil isn't enough to know how salty your katsuobushi chilli oil is.
- 11
Transfer to a sterilised jar, cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to a month.