Chili Garlic Oil Recipe – Panlasang Pinoy

How much spice can you bring into your dish? For some, more of that classic kick makes for the most satisfying meal. Chili Garlic Oil is that perfect addition to your dish when you want just the right, complementary amount of spice to your savory food. You might already be familiar with this well-loved condiment because of just how much it pops up in restaurants around the world. This is simply because you can integrate it with a great variety of dishes.

From siomai to noodles to salads— this sauce works with many of your favorite recipes! It is of Chinese origin as well, which is why you can probably expect it pairs nicely with many dishes from the country. Filipinos have also learned to integrate it well with our own dishes, and provide that much-needed bite for our palate. 

But you don’t need to go with store-bought recipes for this one! I can assure you this is something you can easily make at home— fresh and perfectly cooked! Let’s try whipping up our own Chili Garlic Oil!

How to make Chili Garlic Oil at home:

Go on and take ¼ lb. of fresh Thai chili pepper, as well as 2 heads of garlic so we can mince both ingredients. For this, you can use a food processor, a blender, or simply cut it up manually. Just remember that if you utilize the blender, you should also add oil.

Now pour 2 cups of canola oil into your pan, and also place the minced chili pepper and garlic inside. Set it to low heat, and then add 1 star anise, as well as 2 bay leaves. Keep this cooking in the low temperature setting. After 30 minutes, you can take out the bay leaves and star anise, and then pour in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.

Cook this mixture all together until the chilies become dark, which would take about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to keep the heat to the lowest setting as you are cooking all throughout. Now turn your heat off, and put 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt inside. Stir these into the mix until they have all integrated nicely.

After that, just let your delicious Chili Garlic Oil cool so it reaches room temperature. Once it does, you can go ahead and store it. For this, simply transfer it to a mason jar. And you’re all done?

Wasn’t that easy? Now let’s take a look at what you can mix this lovely condiment with!

Recipes to try using Chili Garlic Oil:

Now you may already be familiar with the use of chili garlic oil with the likes of veggies or dumplings. But as I said earlier, local cuisine has really utilized this dish as well. Let me show you some recipes you have to try that make the most of this ingredient!

Pork Curry Tinola

A gorgeous fusion of two classics, Pork Curry Tinola is a recipe that you really have to try. You get to taste the unique colors of both the Pinoy Curry and ginger-y Tinola for a most distinct, delectable dish. Of course, we also use a good amount of chili garlic oil to infuse the dish with that irresistible spice likened to curry. This, alongside quintessential seasonings like garlic and turmeric powder creates a beautiful mix of flavors. The addition of delicious greens and veggies like spinach and papaya also make this a truly wholesome dish.

Goto Lamang Loob and Tokwa’t Baboy

A king comfort dish like Goto Lamang Loob and Tokwa’t Baboy is something you should surely learn to make. This is because of its versatility, being great as a snack or a full meal that can be hearty and healthy at the same time. But that unique, heartwarming taste is actually the work of many forces, including lemongrass, toasted garlic, and the ever-significant Chili Garlic Oil. With this, we are able to bring a lot of richness into our classic rice porridge.

Chicken Feet in Oyster Sauce with Salted Black Beans

We head on to another dish that is more rooted in Chinese origins. Chicken Feet in Oyster Sauce with Salted Black Beans has all of the great seasonings that make the cuisine so popular and loved. We have some mirin and oyster sauce giving life to chicken feet. If you’re hesitant about trying this component, let me tell you that it’s worth a taste, at least with this group of spices. And a notable thing about this recipe— it takes less than an hour to create!

Now you know how to cook up some of your own Chili Garlic Oil! You’ve also got some options as to what to serve it with. Share your thoughts on this recipe in the comments below.