Chilli Oil with Crispy Shallots & Sichuan Pepper Leaves
I always have a jar (or several) of chilli oil in my cupboard to drizzle over breakfast, lunch or dinner when my food needs a little extra punch of flavour. I love it over a fried egg and greens on toast for breakfast. Or a spoonful into a delicious noodle broth. Or on pretty much any roasted vegetable.
Until recently I always bought it from the Asian Supermarket in Belfast. But with plentiful shallots at the farm at the moment, now is the perfect time to make your own and get the cupboard stocked up for the year! This recipe is hot and sweet and a bit salty - with a gentle, lingering warmth of Sichuan pepper.
Makes one jar of chilli oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chilli flakes
2 large shallots, halved and sliced thinly
180ml sunflower oil
2 fresh Sichuan pepper leaves (or 2-4 Sichuan peppercorns)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Combine the sugar, salt, paprika, chilli powder and chilli flakes in a bowl.
Peel, halve and finely slice the shallots.
Put the sunflower oil and Sichuan pepper leaves on a medium heat. Keep an eye on them and spoon them out (to discard) once they are crispy and have released their fragrance.
Add the shallots to the oil. Spoon out the shallots in another bowl, when they begin to brown. They will darken slightly after you taken them out so be careful!
When the sunflower oil has cooled. Pour in the spice sugar mix, and then stir in the crispy shallots and the soy sauce.
Store in a jar in your fridge
(Though I store mine in a cupboard and it never seems to go off. Perhaps I eat it all too quickly!)
Drizzled over stir-fried kai lan!