Asian Hot Sauce
One of the most delicious foods on earth is the Asian cuisine. There is something particular about the color, smell, flavor and even shapes that harmonize together. In order to obtain this particular Asian flavor, people has experienced with different cooking techniques during ages.
When talking about Asian condiments, the one that immediately comes to our mind is “chili oil”, which gives a peculiar and delightful taste to almost any dish. The chili-oil is very easy to prepare and can be added to many other recipes.
Chili oil makes an excellent “sauce” to noodles and a whole variety of Asian dishes, and it’s the secret ingredient to many popular sweet and salty dishes, such as Bang Bang Chicken. To make the chili oil even hotter, increase the chili peppers or lower the amount of oil to 1/3 cup.
Ingredients:
10 - 12 small dried chilies to make 2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped chili flakes
1/2 cup peanut, canola, or olive oil
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
Procedure:
Cut off the stems of the dried chilies and remove the seeds. Then process them in a blender for about 20 seconds. Place the resulting chili flakes in a heat resistant jar with a seal.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high to high heat until it is starting to smoke. Continue heating the oil for 20 - 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Wait until the oil has cooled to 225 - 240 degrees Fahrenheit .
Pour the oil over the flakes. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to this mix.
Cool and strain the oil. (For a hotter oil, wait 1 to 2 days before straining). If you like, save the chili flakes to use in other recipes.
Now that you have your chili oil, use it as desired in recipes or as a dipping sauce with dumplings, noodles or any food you want to “spice-up”. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, it will last for at least one month.
Remember to handle all spicy foods and chili peppers with care - the oil with chili seeds can be very dangerous for your skin and eyes. You may want to wear plastic gloves when handling the chili peppers. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterwards.
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