This Sous Vide Chili Oil is easy to make, incredibly aromatic, and flavorful. It is made by infusing Chinese peppers and spices in a water bath for 8-16 hours. The low temperature of sous vide cooking helps preserve many of the aromatic compounds found in the chile peppers and spices.
If you're looking for a quicker chili oil, try my 10-minute Sichuan Chili Oil next!
๐ถ๏ธ About This Recipe
If you have never made chili oil in your sous vide, I highly recommend it. Not only is it foul-proof (there is no risk of burning chilis), but the flavor is much more aromatic. You will need to cook it for at least 8 hours to get a decent flavor, but you can go as far as 16 hours.
I first learned about sous vide chili oil from the Modernist Cuisine cookbooks. Did you know the high temperatures for traditional chili oil eradicate many of the aromatic compounds? Every time you make chili oil, and the kitchen smells fragrant, that is actually the aromatic compounds escaping the oil. Sous vide helps lock those aromas inside.
This is now my favorite way to elevate chili oil at home.
๐ง Ingredients
For this recipe, I have kept it pretty basic with oil, Chinese dried red chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon sticks, coriander, and fennel seeds. You can also add additional ingredients like cloves or bay leaves. About ยฝ a teaspoon of cloves and 3 bay leaves are enough.
Any neutral-flavored oil is good for the oil (peanut oil is my go-to). I would caution against olive oil, as Chinese people don't usually use it in cooking. Its flavor won't necessarily pair well with Chinese dishes.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat your water bath to 160โ.
STEP 2: Crush the chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, and coriander seeds until coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle. You can also use a Ziplock bag and a rolling pin. Transfer the spices to a sous vide bag along with the star anise, cinnamon, and 1 cup of oil.
STEP 3: Submerge the bag of chilis in the water bath and cook for 8 hours and up to 16 hours. Since water is denser than oil, the bag will float. You can place a heat-resistant object on top of the bag to submerge it in the water.
STEP 4: Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a storage container. You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for up to two weeks.
๐ฝ Serving Suggestions
๐ Recipe
Sous Vide Chili Oil
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup Chinese dried chili peppers
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 10 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your immersion circulator to 160โ.
- Crush the chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, and coriander seeds until coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle. You can also use a Ziplock bag and a rolling pin. Transfer the spices to a sous vide bag along with the star anise, cinnamon, and 1 cup of oil.
- Submerge the bag of chilis in the water bath and cook for 8 hours and up to 16 hours. Since water is denser than oil, the bag will float. You can place a heat-resistant object on top of the bag to submerge it in the water.
- Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a storage container. You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for up to two weeks.
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