Red Chili Oil with Toasty Bits Recipe

Makes: 2 3/4 cups
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

2 cups|500 ml peanut or vegetable oil
¼ cup|60 ml toasted sesame oil
¼ cup|60 grams coarsely ground chiles
½ cup|60 grams finely ground chilies
¼ cup|60 grams whole sichuan peppercorns
1 whole dried orange peel (just remove the peel from an orange in a single long strip and air-dry it until hard)

1. Pour the oils into a 4-cup saucepan add all the chilies and the Sichuan peppercorns. Bring the oil to a boil then immediately reduce heat to low so that the oil gently bubbles; do not cook the chiles over higher heat or they will burn.

2. After about 10 minutes place orange peel. Cook until orange peel is brown, about 15-20 minutes. Take off of heat and let sit overnight. Store in a cool, dark place. If you don't use it every day, you'll find it will keep longer in the refrigerator. Use within a couple of weeks for optimum flavor and freshness.

Reprinted from All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China. Copyright © 2016 by Carolyn Phillips. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.