Cook: Chili Garlic Crunch
Sauces are my favorite. This crispy garlic chili oil is becoming a huge hit that’s trending all over social media. And, it should be, because it is one of the best sauces you’ll ever make. Instead of buying some, try to make it on your own!
Bon Appetit’s version is mostly what I followed with a few modifications and I wanted to share how I made it. You’ll want to put it on top of everything. It does take a bit of prep because of all the slicing and dicing you have to do… but, it’s 100% worth it. This is the time to invest in a mandoline. I know they can seem scary, but, if you buy one that comes with a topper, you have nothing to fear! The other great thing about the sauce is that once you make a batch, it lasts for quite awhile. I love to use this sauce on top of seafood, chicken (Hainan style), rice and eggs, eggs in general, steamed veggies (especially bok choy), noodles and of course, dumplings.
Chili Garlic Crunch
Yield: around 2 cups of sauce
Ingredients:
4 small shallots (thinly sliced with a mandoline if you have it)
2 heads of garlic (cloves peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline if you have it)
The main reason you’ll want to use a mandoline is that you want consistency in the thickness of the garlic and shallot slices so that they fry evenly. Or, this is a great way to practice your knife skills.
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil (or very neutral oil) - you’ll probably need around 1-2 tbsp extra
1 cinnamon stick (some recipes call for 2, but I prefer just 1 - up to you on how cinnamony you want it to taste)
4-5 star anise pods
2 tsp of cumin (optional)
1 tsp of MSG (optional)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger (finely chopped, no need to remove the skin unless you really want to)
1/8 cup red chili flakes
1/8 cup of Chinese style red chili or gochugaru (if you don’t have this, you can use 1/4 cup of regular red chili flakes, the kind you put on top of pizza)
2 tbsp of soy sauce (I like the Usukuchi kind for this sauce, it’s a little saltier than normal soy sauce)
2 tsp of brown sugar
Directions:
Evenly slice all of your shallots and garlic. Put into a small to medium sized pot over medium heat along with the cinnamon and star anise. Make sure the oil covers all your ingredients (this is where you may need to add a little extra)
Cook and stir the mixture every now and then for about 25 minutes. You’ll want to keep a close eye on it as it nears the end, the browning will happen very quickly around 20 minutes. Make sure that you have a gentle simmer and adjust your heat as necessary, you don’t want a violent boil.
While this is simmering, mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (cumin, MSG, ginger, red chili flakes, Chinese style red chili or gochugaru, soy sauce and brown sugar.
Once the shallots and garlic have browned (see picture for reference) using a fine strainer, carefully pour the oil over the ingredients in your bowl. Let the shallots and onions cool in the strainer before mixing them back into the oil. Ensuring that the shallots and oil cool completely is key to having super crisp garlic chili oil. Be patient!
Once the garlic and shallots have cooled, mix into the oil and serve. This will stay fresh in a container for a month or so. Some traditional garlic chili sauces also have peanuts in it, so you can always add chopped peanuts to the mix if you’d like.
Fresh, homemade, garlic chili oil!
These are close to being done. The cooling process will also continue to brown them so make sure you keep your eye on them towards the end.
Spice and ginger mixture, plus soy sauce and brown sugar
Let the garlic and shallots completely cool!