This garlic and black bean chili oil is a delicious, all-purpose condiment. Use it as a dipping sauce or whenever you want to add a bit of flavor to your meal.
This sauce is the main reason why I decided to make fermented black beans.
Brad LOVES rich and flavorful hot sauce and chili oil. And we LOVE this homemade chili oil.
- Affordable: Nice, artisan-quality chili oil is expensive. But the ingredients are quite affordable!
- Simple: Our first introduction to homemade chili oil was a jar gifted to us by a Singaporean friend. At the time she was completing her Ph.D. with Brad and had a young child at home. Phew! If she had time to make jars of chili oil for all her friends, then so do you!
- Zero-Waste: However much our blue box would like to pretend otherwise, glass isn’t really recyclable. Going waste-free is something I feel rather strongly about, particularly in terms of glass jars and bottles. This was the main reason why I got into making black bean chili oil. 🙂
What is chili oil?
Chili oil is an Asian condiment made from vegetable oil and red chili peppers. In its simplest version, it is made of just chili and oil, however, like all good condiments, it can include all sorts of different flavor additions.
Black bean chili oil is a Chinese variation and a family favorite. Fermented black beans add a richness that comes with the umami flavor of fermentation. It turns chili oil from a blast of heat to a spicy, full-flavored condiment.
How to use black bean chili oil
Brad’s jar of black bean chili oil is probably the most used spicy condiment in our house. It easily beats out hot sauce, sambal oelek, and siracha. Unlike other forms of heat, this chili oil adds a richness that improves the overall flavor of a dish. It’s also mild enough for my teen (though not my younger kid).
Here are a few of our favorite serving options:
- Leave a jar on your table. It’s a delicious way to add a dollop of heat to pretty much any dish.
- Add it to your favorite stir fry or noodle bowl.
- Serve it as a dip for spring rolls, dumplings, meat, and other dim sum dishes.
- Drizzle it on pasta or pizza instead of the Italian olio di peperoncino.
Black Bean Chili Oil
This garlic and black bean chili oil is a delicious, all-purpose condiment. Use it as a dipping sauce or whenever you want to add a bit of flavor to your meal.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups oil cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
- 1 inch of ginger, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 cup fermented black beans
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup chili flakes
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce (or Braggs Liquid Aminos)
Instructions
- Pour the cooking oil into a small pot. Set it on medium-low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, bay, peppercorns, and anise. Maintain the heat over medium-low. The goal is to infuse the aromatics into the oil but not fry the garlic and ginger. It should be warm enough that you can smell the spices, but turn down the heat if the garlic starts to sizzle. Maintain the temperature for 20 minutes.Â
- Remove the spices and flavors from the oil. The easiest way to do this is to strain into a fresh pot. However, feel free to scoop them out with a slotted spoon.
- Return the oil to the heat. Add the black beans and turn up the heat slightly (to medium). The black beans will sizzle slightly to cook off the residual moisture. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to low and allow the oil to cool for 5 minutes. Add chili flakes and roast for 10 minutes over low heat. The chili flakes should smell spicy but not burnt.
- Remove the oil from the heat. Add the sesame seeds, sugar, and soy sauce. Allow the oil to cool. It’s up to you whether you want to leave the oil chunky (with pieces of black beans, chili, and sesame seeds) or puree it to a smooth paste. It’s traditional to leave it chunky, but we like a smooth sauce.
- Store the oil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Here’s a simplified recipe for fermented black beans.
- Sichuan pepper can’t be replaced by regular black pepper. It isn’t the same flavor. Sichuan pepper is slightly citrus-flavored and has a neat property where it makes your tongue go slightly numb. If you can’t find it, simply skip it.Â
- I like 1/2 cup of chili flakes. My husband prefers 3/4 cup of chili flakes. Feel free to adjust to your taste.
Keywords: chili oil, douchi, Chinese, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, zero-waste
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