Shaanxi Hot Chili Oil (You Po La Zi)

Ingredients

• Garlic bulb
• Dried chili flakes
• Salt
• Toasted white sesame seeds
• Bird's eye chili
• Peanut oil (rapeseed oil can be used instead)
• Small ceramic bowl
• Iron ladle
• Five-spice powder (optional)
• Tsaoko (black cardamom, optional)
• Scallions (optional)
• Star anise
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Bay leaves
• Angelica root (bai zhi)
• Ginger slices (optional)
• Sugar
• White vinegar

Steps

1. Take the garlic bulb, break off 2 `small cloves` and peel them
2. On a cutting board, finely chop the `garlic cloves` and `bird's eye chili`
3. Take out a bowl and pour in the `peanut oil`
4. When the oil is hot, add the `other aromatics` and `scallions`; once the spices turn dark, scoop them out and discard
5. Pour the oil from the bowl into an iron wok and heat for 2 minutes (heat rapeseed oil until it smokes)
6. The bowl is now empty
7. In the empty bowl, add the `chili flakes`, `sesame seeds`, `minced garlic`, `bird's eye chili`, `salt`, `five-spice powder` and `tsaoko` as the "seasoning"
8. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool to `210` °C
9. Pour the hot oil from the wok into the bowl and stir with the ladle (for extra heat, at `165` °C pour it into a second bowl with the same "seasoning" and mix them together at the end)
10. After pouring in the hot oil and stirring briefly, add the white vinegar; it will bubble up again. Keep stirring: the vinegar adds aroma.
11. When the chili oil has cooled to warm, add the sugar and MSG; sugar mellows the heat so it isn't so harsh