Chili oil (also called hot chili oil or hot oil; called la you 辣油, hongjiaoyou 红椒油, hong you 红油, lajiao you 辣椒油, hong lajiao you 红辣椒油, or jiao you 椒油 in Chinese; rayu ラー油 in Japanese; gochu gireum 고추기름 in Korean; ớt sa tế or ớt satế in Vietnamese; and nam mun prik น้ำมันพริก in Thai) is a condiment made from vegetable oil that has been infused with dried chili peppers and sometimes also additional ingredients. It is used as an ingredient used in Chinese cuisine as well as in some other cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. Particularly popular in Sichuan cuisine, it is used as an ingredient in cooked dishes as well as as a condiment. It is sometimes used as a dipping sauce for meat and dim sum. It is also employed in the Korean Chinesenoodle soup dish jjamppong.
Chili oil is typically red in color. It is made from vegetable oil, often soybean oil or sesame oil, although olive oil[1] or other oils may be used. Other spices may be included such as Sichuan pepper, garlic, or paprika. The spices are soaked in oil. Commercial preparations may include other kinds of oil, water, dried garlic, soy sauce, and sugar. Recipes targeted to Western cooks also suggest other popular oils such as canola, peanut, grapeseed, olive, and any dried or fresh chili peppers. The solids typically settle to the bottom of the container in which it is stored.photo When using chili oil, the chef or diner may choose how much of the solids to use; sometimes only the oil is used, without any solids.photo
Chili oil is commercially available in glass jars,photo although it may also be made from scratch at home.photo It is usually available by request at Chinese restaurants.
