Hot Chili Oil

A very popular condiment served in Chinese restaurants.  This hot chili oil is infused with star anise, cinnamon, sichuan peppercorns and red pepper flakes.

A few of the spices used in this recipe were fairly new to me.  I could not find them at my local grocery store.  I had to go to an Asian supermarket.  A quick Google search gave me some answers to some questions I had.

CHINESE STAR ANISE
	Chinese Star Anise is the seed pod of an evergreen tree native to China. It’s warm, sweet and aromatic. Similar to anise, it has a liquorice flavour.
CINNAMON
	There are four main varieties of cinnamon; Ceylon, Cassia or Chinese, Saigon and Indonesian. Ceylon is considered true cinnamon. It is the best cinnamon to use in fine desserts. Cassia, used in this recipe, is less expensive and more widely sold in North America. Coumarin, a substance found in cinnamon, is known to cause liver damage if taken in high doses. Saigon and Indonesian cinnamon have the highest levels.
SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS
	Sichuan or Szechuan Peppercorns are surprisingly not related to peppers at all. The flavour is nothing like a hot pepper. It is the outer husk of the berries of the prickly ash tree found in China. This spice gives you the tingling numbing sensation in your mouth.

Interesting stuff.

To make the hot chili oil, place the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, and sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the spices using a slotted spoon or strain the oil through a sieve.  Heat oil to near the smoking point.  Remove from heat and pour oil over red pepper flakes, salt and sugar.  Give it a quick stir.

The smell of toasted red pepper flakes is simply amazing.

Hot chili oil can be served with dumplings, poured into noodle soup or added to a stir fry.

Adapted from The Woks of Life.