One Condiment to Rule Them All.
This condiment can spruce up anything you choose to eat or make!
The Story:
We went out to eat on my daughters birthday, as is our family custom. She is plant based and chose a very popular dumpling place that serves vegan and vegetarian options. I ordered the vegetarian dumplings and they arrived steaming with a side of chilli oil. I added the chilli oil to my dumplings, it was ok but I felt it was missing something. I added salt to see if it would bring the flavours out, but it did not. The chilli flakes in the oil were a bit hard to chew on and the seeds were most annoying.
I came home thinking it need not be that way. I liked that the chilli oil was a condiment and that it was supposed to add a flavour punch and make the dumplings shine. I started experimenting and testing my creations on my family. After several attempts I discovered the final version of my chilli oil. This version delivered a wonderful balance of heat and flavour.
The next step was to see if my chilli oil could be used beyond dumplings. My husband, who is a fusion cook, started cooking with the oil and the outcome was magical. The chilli oil proved to be a fragrant and versatile oil that required less ingredients when making a range of flavourful dishes. My son was tasked with testing the condiment capabilities of my chilli oil. He tried it on pizza, pasta, lasagne, fried rice, instant noodles, and more. My daughter, who is not a fan of the oil per se but of the pulp, started adding it into her stir fries, soups, and salads. She also coated tofu and marinated it in the oil before adding the tofu into her curry.
After receiving positive reviews at home, I took it to the office and left it on the kitchen bench during lunch for my colleagues to try. The result was overwhelming, they had one message for me “bottle it! when can we buy???"
Here are some ways you can use the chilli oil…
- When creating meals - mix it with your cooking oil
- Marination - apply, let rest for an hour then cook it off
- Omelette / fried rice / pizza / pasta / casserole / noodle / soup drizzle it to get that additional kick
- Raw salads – a little drizzle will go a long way
- Breads – either raw or toasted apply a thin layer of the pulp
Use your imagination and play with it!
I have received lots of positive feedback. This one is from my very sweet friend who happened to present it to a friend of hers “just wanted to say thank you very much missy for the chilli oil – I’m loving it! I have been eating it on everything ….. just stopping short of eating it on my cereal!!”
Check out the original Chilli Oil here
There is also a hot version for all the chilli heads here