Homemade Chilli Garlic Crisp

Homemade Chilli Garlic Crisp recipe

Good Lord, I’ve been quiet on here recently. For no particular reason, it’s nothing personal, inspiration has just eluded me, and there’s nothing worse than a rambling food blogger with bugger all to say. This Homemade Chilli Garlic Crisp, however, had me back in the mood, because it’s not only bloody delicious, it’s far cheaper to make your own than buying a jar a week.

My boys are obsessed with crispy chilli oil, it goes on pretty much everything. They fry eggs in it, marinade chicken with it, drizzle it on rice and noodles, no meal is left unadorned by this super spicy condiment. And thank God for Best Recipe for the inspiration for this, as making my own is so much cheaper than buying a jar a week. This spicy condiment is easy too; heat a little oil with A LOT of garlic, then add chilli flakes, dried onion and more garlic, paprika, sugar and soy for depth and sesame seeds for crunch and nuttiness. Store this vibrant jar of goodness in the fridge for up to an optimistic month.

With Christmas less than a month away, my Homemade Chilli Crisp could be a gifting situation. Just add a pretty bow and hide it from the kids.

Here’s the spicy line up, but don’t panic, you can adjust the spice levels to suit your tastes. My onion and garlic were the crispy versions thanks to a trip to a fab Asian shop, but supermarket granules will also work. You’ll need plenty of fresh garlic too, and plenty of toothpaste to brush your teeth after you’ve eaten this.

Make a start on this easypeasyness by adding your oil to a saucepan. Heat over a low heat until just starting to come up to the simmer. Turn the heat right down and add your chopped fresh garlic and stir.

I used my tiny chopper to save time, it’s a lot of garlic.

Only cook for a round a minute, whilst stirring, or until the garlic has just turned golden. Be careful, burnt garlic is grim. Remove from the heat and start to add your flavourings.

Add the chilli flakes, onion and garlic granules, paprika and sesame seeds and stir.

Leave the oil to cool slightly before you add the sugar and soy, or it will sizzle and go lumpy, then stir again, have a tiny taste, then add salt to taste.

Leave to cool before pouring into your chosen jar. Store in the fridge until needed *in our house it never gets near the fridge*.

Chilli Garlic Crisp is the new sriracha for us; it goes on anything and everything, just use your imagination and a bloody great big spoon.

Homemade Chilli Garlic Crisp recipe

Makes one big jar (which doesn’t last long)

You will just need a saucepan and a big jar to store

200ml sunflower oil or vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons dried chilli flakes, more or less to taste

1 tablespoon crispy onions or onion granules

1 tablespoon garlic granules or powder

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon paprika, mine was smoked

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt (taste before adding, you may need slightly less)

Take a sauce pan and heat the oil over a low flame. Tip in the crushed fresh garlic and cook for around a minute until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the heat immediately so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Stir in the chilli flakes, onion and garlic granules, paprika and sesame seeds until well combined. Leave the oil to cool slightly before then adding the sugar, soy sauce and salt, to taste. Stir again.

Leave to cool before putting the lid on and then store in the fridge for at least a month. Stir well before using to fry eggs, as a topping for noodles or rice or try on your avocado toast.