There are thousands of chilli oil variations. As a person that loves chilli oil as a condiment - when it’s good it’s great.

I use chilli oil a lot at home and what prompted me to make this at home is the tailoring a recipe to everything I want out of a chilli oil : strong layered heat, smokiness, savoury vibe, versatile flavour profile to use across different cuisines and no sugar or additives.

This taste of this chilli oil recipe is pretty seasonal - depending on the availability of chilli type(s). While the cooking method seems tedious and time consuming, the end result is something I enjoy and use regularly.

The amount of shoyu used does not come through as a strong soy taste in the chilli oil but more so just a round umami-ish flavour. As a neutral chilli oil, this is a good base to make other condiments. Here’s some variations to mix in with a spoonful of chilli oil:

• Mala chilli oil: heat in a small pan with crushed Sichuan peppercorns

• Spicy vinegar dipping sauce or salad dressing: rice vinegar (or black if you prefer a sweeter taste), aged or dark soy, scallions and sesame oil.

• Spicy Sesame Sauce

**Refined sugar free and Gluten free option - sub Shoyu with Tamari.

Always check the ingredients in your shoyu and/or soy. Proper shoyu: fermented soybeans, wheat, water and salt. There shouldn’t be the addition of sugar, caramel colouring etc.