Sichuan Chilli Oil

You'll Need

½ a cup of whole dried chillies 
¼ cup of Sichuan peppercorns 
¼ cup of sesame seeds 
2 star anise 
1 cinnamon stick 
2 bay leaves 
1 garlic clove (whole)
½ cup roasted peanuts
750ml canola oil
2cm piece of spring onion - white part only

Make It

Blitz the dried chillies and peppercorns in a blender till they are roughly chopped and crushed. Place them in a heat proof bowl with the sesame, bay, peanuts.

Heat the oil, spring onion, garlic star anise and cinnamon, in a saucepan till the spring onion turns a light brown colour all over (a tip from Fuchsia Dunlop's The Food Of Sichuan cookbook). Turn the heat off and leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes.

Place a strainer over the bowl of chillies then pour over the hot oil. The chillies and aromatics will sizzle and smell spicy and fragrant. Add back in the star anise and cinnamon then leave it to cool completely then taste — if it’s too spicy, add some extra oil to dilute it. Pour it into a large jar and keep it within reach.

Updated Feb 2025