chili oil recipe

[Glen_]

Hello all.  I am new to the forum.  I am interested in making chili oil.  Yesterday I bought a product in a chinese grocery store here in Panama.  It is Bhut Jalokia that appears to be sauteed in soya oil.  The product is sweet smelling and the label says it contains chili's, sugar, salt, soya oil and preservatives.  I want to try making something similar to this at home using the remaining thai hot peppers I have in the garden.  Oh, the product I bought still has the peppers in the oil, unlike the pepper oil products I saw online.
 
What I was thinking was that I could chop up my hot peppers and sautee them in medium heat oil with salt and sugar.  When they are soft I would turn the heat off and let the mix cool before jarring the chili infused oil up.  Then I would let this sit on the counter for a couple of days before putting it in the fridge.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this type of recipe that they could offer me?
 
I have been told that this type of product can produce botulism.  I plan to use soya oil in the recipe and keep this stuff in the fridge if it is tasty enough to want to keep.
 
Thanx in advance.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Hi Glen_!
 
Try grapeseed oil. It has a totally neutral flavor and does not cloud in the fridge like most other oils.

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

Rice bran oil. Sometimes sold as turkey fryer oil too by Riceland.
 
You add seasoned (if you wish) heated oil to the pepper flakes slowly. They will sizzle a little but dont burn. If you want to do an infusion use a slow cooker on low or medium.

 

[Glen_]

Thanx for the suggestions.  The slow cooker idea sounds good.  I will not be using pepper flakes.  I have an assortment of thai hot, tobasco, chombo and wild bird peppers fresh in the kitchen to be used.  I don't have that much.  Probably 2 cups of fresh chili peppers which is probably not enough to warrant using the slow cooker although that is a fabulous idea.  I have never seen grapeseed oil here in Panama.  I did google oils though to see which ones were the best for storage in the fridge.  Soya oil is on the list, as well as canola oil.  Olive oil or other natural oils are no good because they solidify in the fridge.  

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Soybean and canola taste like crap. I would not make an infused oil with those, I'd saute some veggies in them yeah but not make an infused oil. An oil should have a nice flavor if you are going to use it to finish food. Sesame, walnut, olive, and like I said grapeseed is neutral (the flavor would be the infusion). Soybean and canola "taste" like fry oil.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

_)

I have been told that this type of product can produce botulism.  I plan to use soya oil in the recipe and keep this stuff in the fridge if it is tasty enough to want to keep.

I believe your above a valid concern.  Food borne botulism is serious stuff and low temps do not kill the spore..>Making chilli oil at home ("There are a few things that you need to think about before you start. The first is botulism, an important consideration in making infused oils. Botulism spores can – in a very small number of cases – live in oil, so it is essential that you heat the oil to 180°C (356°F) so that you kill them.")is a method I've used using grapeseed oil for its ease of availability and smoke point temp, see chart below.
 
Hope this helps!~
_
 
 

 

[Glen_]

I really appreciate all the information.  Especially the information on oil and botulism.  I don't have any specific recipe yet to follow.  I might be winging it this first time.  There are so many recipes here on the forum for making hot sauce but information on chili packed in oil is harder to come by.  I also agree that there are oils out there that taste better or are more classy than soya oil.  I live way out in the country in Panama so sometimes ingredients are harder to find.  My first try will be using soya bean oil.  The product I bought from a chinese grocery store was bhut jalokia packed in soya oil and it is actually pretty good.  
 
Later, if want to try again to make this type of product I will use a different oil.
 
Again, thanx

 

[Glen_]

Ok, I managed to make a batch of chili oil.  I winged it.  I also used soya oil.  The soya oil is not a good tasting oil.  As noted above.  I made about 24 oz of the finished product.  The oil didn't turn red like it did in the commercial product.  I used a mix of chili peppers including some I bought at the last minute which were yellow chombo's or scotch bonnet look alikes.  I used about 3 cups of chili peppers of several variety's.  About half of the peppers are thai hots and almost half is chombo.  I coursely chopped the peppers up and put them in a clean jar.  I added about 12 garlic cloves which is not necessary in my opinion.  I added about 4 table spoons of sugar, 3 teaspoons of salt.  Then I poured in the oil to cover the chopped peppers.  I then poured all this in a big pot and simmered the mixture for about 12 minutes in the oil.  I should have simmered it a little longer because the peppers are not all limp in the finished product.  Anyways, I let it cool and spooned the mix back in the jar.  I kept the jar on the counter for a couple of days before putting it in the fridge.
 
I have been using this product on white rice, on pieces of pork, or meats, in soup etc.  Its pretty good.  Its spicey but much less spicey than the commercial bhut jalokia product I bought.  Probably less than half as hot.  My mix is useable.  But, can be improved apon in my opinion by using a better quality, better tasting oil.  As time goes on I will try different things until I find the perfect blend.  Thanx for all the suggestions.  I had no idea what I was doing.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Ok, I managed to make a batch of chili oil.  I winged it.  I also used soya oil.  The soya oil is not a good tasting oil.  As noted above.  I made about 24 oz of the finished product.  The oil didn't turn red like it did in the commercial product.  I used a mix of chili peppers including some I bought at the last minute which were yellow chombo's or scotch bonnet look alikes.  I used about 3 cups of chili peppers of several variety's.  About half of the peppers are thai hots and almost half is chombo.  I coursely chopped the peppers up and put them in a clean jar.  I added about 12 garlic cloves which is not necessary in my opinion.  I added about 4 table spoons of sugar, 3 teaspoons of salt.  Then I poured in the oil to cover the chopped peppers.  I then poured all this in a big pot and simmered the mixture for about 12 minutes in the oil.  I should have simmered it a little longer because the peppers are not all limp in the finished product.  Anyways, I let it cool and spooned the mix back in the jar.  I kept the jar on the counter for a couple of days before putting it in the fridge.
 
I have been using this product on white rice, on pieces of pork, or meats, in soup etc.  Its pretty good.  Its spicey but much less spicey than the commercial bhut jalokia product I bought.  Probably less than half as hot.  My mix is useable.  But, can be improved apon in my opinion by using a better quality, better tasting oil.  As time goes on I will try different things until I find the perfect blend.  Thanx for all the suggestions.  I had no idea what I was doing.

 
Stumbled over another.>Fried Chili Oil

 

[Glen_]

Thanx for researching and finding that recipe.  I would have never thought of toasting the peppers in a frying pan before simmering them in the oil.  Thats a must try.  
There is another asian pepper product that I plan to buy next time I see it in the Chinese grocery.  Its called chili paste.  I had forgotten about that product which also comes in a small jar usually.  Its red and thick in consistency like a paste.  I was in a chinese restaurant over the weekend and asked them for hot sauce and that is what they gave me.  In a small dish.  You just smear it on roast pork or meats or on stir fried veggy's or spoon it into soups.  Well, that´s what I do with it. The paste doesn't seem to have oil or vinegar in it so I do not have a clue how they prepare it.  Its also not really so hot but very nice and spicey.  The products I have seen in the chino stores are very reasonable, usually less than 4 dollars per jar.  I have never seen a recipe.  I am sure that some very special recipes could be made with super hot chili's and many of the exotics that the forum members grow.  If only we had a recipe?  Hot sauce has totally stolen the show it seems to the exclusion of oils and pastes.