Julia Moskin in the NY Times Cooking Section creates an easy to replicate Chinese Chili-Scallion Oil.

Chinese Chili-Scallion Oil

2/3 Cup of Hot Red Pepper Flakes

4 Garlic Cloves

3 Scallions

2 Tablespoons Ginger

2 1/2 Cups of Oil

1/3 Cup of Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Sichuan Peppercorns

The recipe calls for corn or peanut oil but I only had vegetable oil and it turned out just fine.  I took her suggestion and added in the Sichuan Peppercorns to add some of that mouth numbing heat.

Start by adding the oils to a think bottom pot or dutch oven.  Be sure you have a frying thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.  The recipe suggests using pepper flakes but I only had whole chilies so I quickly toasted the chilies in a pan before adding to the food processor.  The inconsistent size of the chilies gives the oil a more homemade feel.  Cut the scallions into rings, finely chop the ginger and add both to the oil with the Sichuan Peppercorns.  The recipe suggests crushing the garlic which I didn’t see until I had chopped it; if you chop your garlic too then keep the temperature on the lower end of suggested 225 – 250 range.  I kept my oil at 220 for 15 min and then let it rest for 4 hours before bottling.

The finished product would make for a great gift for friends and family.  If you want to keep it all to yourself then I suggest serving with roast chicken or steamed fish, stir fried with broccoli or snow peas, or tossed with tofu or noodles.