THE BEST CHILI OIL IN THE WORLD.

INTRODUCTION

Our COOKAINE chili oil is an extremely intense and balanced seasoning sauce that largely eliminates the need for traditional seasoning when cooking.
Completely serious.

Dark green steamed vegetables, eggs, rice or even simple potatoes - with a little salt on the plate, a generous amount of chili oil and you have a finished dish that you would happily order in a restaurant.
The "neutral" basic ingredients work excellently as a kind of "carrier material" for the seasoning sauce and, immediately after being brought together on the plate, form a remarkably moving, harmonious and impressive alliance of flavors, which ensures round eyes and eager finger-licking in enjoyable culinary ecstasy.

The sauce is anything but brutally hot (quite the opposite) or one-dimensional in any other respect: spicy, smoky chili notes meet a profound umami warmth and silky spice oil, rounded off by garlic and ginger and a pleasant sweetness from the fried onions.

The extreme peculiarity of the Szechuan pepper ensures that, despite all its harmony, the oil never becomes “pleasant” but always remains culinary sophisticated.

In traditional chili crisps, the aromatics such as ginger and garlic are fried in oil and then thrown away - something we find completely incomprehensible. Anyone who has ever tried golden-brown fried garlic knows how valuable this flavor in oil is.

In our version, garlic, onions and ginger as well as three different chillies are processed in the food processor to form chunky pastes before being fried with the spices in plenty of oil until golden brown.
They then remain in the oil and form the fragrant, intense base of the chili oil.

From here, everyone can develop their own signature oil .
We are generous with Sichuan pepper, peanuts, roasted sesame seeds and MSG – yes, the good old flavor enhancer.

For a sweet, crunchy note, we round it all off with ready-made fried onions, which intensify the flavor and increase the yield.

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The “Chili Sauce” project is a lifelong project to which one can and should devote oneself with all one’s heart and soul.
If you produce a new batch approximately every 6 months, it is worth checking in advance each time for new developments in the field or other recipes.

Over the years, your own signature recipe develops - ideal for giving as a gift or (insider tip!) as a selfish souvenir for dinner invitations where the hosts simply cannot cook.

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EXOTIC INGREDIENTS
A well-stocked Asian store is an advantage for this recipe, but by no means a showstopper.

Only Sichuan pepper, dried whole chilies and MSG (monosodium glutamate = flavour enhancer) are not available in every supermarket - so simply order online and have them delivered.

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The oil will keep for about 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
Please make sure that there is always enough oil in the jar to completely cover the surface.

1.1 Peel garlic, onions & ginger and cut into large pieces

1.2 Process everything in a food processor to a coarse paste and set aside.

2.1 Gently roast the dried chilies in a pan over medium heat until they are lightly roasted and then remove from the heat. You should see a slight smoke and a very pleasant, sweet smell.
(Please do not burn until black! Otherwise, irritating fumes will form that can cause coughing and burning eyes. As a precaution, keep windows and balcony doors wide open during this step.)

2.2 Allow to cool slightly and chop more or less finely in the food processor .

2.3 Cut the fresh chili into large pieces and process it together with the roasted chili in the food processor to form a coarse paste.

3.1 - Heat 1 liter of oil in a large enough pot to medium heat

3.2 Add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise to the oil and leave to steep for 15 minutes. If you want to save yourself the trouble of picking out the spices individually, you can use either a tea bag or a suitable sieve.

(In the video we left the spices to steep together with the pastes. That was OK, but a bit confusing. Next time we would do it one after the other as described here.)

3.2 Carefully add the garlic paste and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the mixture turns a golden brown color. Stir constantly, otherwise the mixture will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

3.3 Add the chili paste and dried chili flakes and continue to fry for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Then remove from the heat.

4.1 Add fried onions, MSG, sugar, peanuts and Sichuan pepper to the hot oil and mix thoroughly, then add 1 litre of oil and mix again.

4.2 Briefly roast the sesame seeds in a pan without oil over medium heat until golden brown and also add to the oil.

4.3 Let it steep for 2 hours, then season to taste and fine-tune the taste.

4.4 Leave to stand overnight and check the taste again the next morning and adjust if necessary.
The dry substances (fried onions, etc.) absorb a lot of oil overnight and give off their own flavor, so that a first reliable impression of the final taste only emerges after about 24 hours.

5.1 Fill the chili mixture into suitable jars. Screw-top jars or preserving jars are both suitable.

The glasses should be about 35% full with the mixture.

In our experience, good sizes for everyday use are around 500g.

5.2 Fill with oil, stir well

5.3 Wipe the rim and inside walls clean with a kitchen towel, then close the jars tightly and place them in the refrigerator.

5.4 SHELF LIFE
This is the first time we've made the recipe in this form, so we can't make any reliable statements yet. However, our gut feeling is that 3-4 weeks in the fridge shouldn't be a problem at all.

If in doubt, taste regularly and check visually.

IMPORTANT: The substance of the oil must always be completely covered by oil; otherwise, surface mold can quickly form. Regularly check the oil level and keep the sides of the containers clean as well.

Take small batches (about 300g) and try everything that comes to mind.

You can either simply work on the proportions of the ingredients already included (for example, in one version we added significantly more Sichuan pepper) or you can add completely new ingredients:

- soy sauce & dark rice vinegar

- sesame oil

- something really sweet (honey, sugar or syrup?)

- fresh herbs, onions and fresh chilies for a fresh sauce that can be used within 1 week.