mild chili oil / olio al pepe di Sichuan

pretty in red (napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

While I was reading the current selection of the Cook the Books club, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China by Fuchsia Dunlop¹ we spent a couple of days in Ashland, OR, to watch three plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. One of my stops during our visit was The Spice and Tea Exchange², a favorite store, where I like to explore shelves of spices (spezie), custom blends, and teas. In the pepper section, a glass jar labeled Szechuan Pepper Berry introduced me to the spice of the book's title. Of course, I bought some.

Sichuan pepper, as you can see from the photo, does not look like (and is not even related to) the typical black or white peppercorns (grani di pepe) we buy and put in our pepper mill: they are the husks of a berry.

For my first experience using Sichuan pepper, I chose a recipe with mushrooms³ and purchased a selection of them plus New Zealand spinach⁴ (a vegetable I like a lot) at the Downtown Berkeley farmers' market. The dish was good and I got to experience the tingling of my lips that is the hallmark symptom of having eaten a Sichuan pepper-laced dish. 

I then looked around for more ideas and was intrigued by recipes for Chinese chili oil (Chinese chili sauce), which is oil infused with chili and other spices. I made a mild version, using a California chile leftover from my recent experiment with mole poblano⁵ (shown in the top photo), rather than hot peppers (peperoncini piccanti) and put my Italian touch on it by using olive oil (olio d'oliva). I also kept it simple with just the Sichuan pepper as spice (plus sesame seeds, semi di sesamo). The oil is of a bright red color.

a red dash of color and flavor (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The recipe that mostly inspired me⁶ blends chili oil and a vinegar and soy sauce mix to make a vinaigrette: I left the two separate so I can apportion each depending on the vegetable I am dressing: for example, a bit more vinegar on farm-fresh butter lettuce, less on roasted asparagus (photo below). 

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for (mild) Chili oil

Ingredients:

• 1 dried California chile
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan pepper (berries)
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil OR 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons / 30 ml avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml tamari
• 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Remove stem and seeds from the chile and break it into pieces. Pick out any stems from the Sichuan pepper.

Toast both in a dry skillet until fragrant (shake the skillet often ensure nothing burns).

Place the chile and pepper in a mortar and grind until the chile is broken into tiny pieces and the pepper is reduced to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl.

Pour oil(s) in a small saucepan and heat until it reaches about 230 F / 110 C. Immediately pour the hot oil over the chile and pepper mixture: it will should sizzle. Let it cool for 5 minutes then add to it the sesame seeds, stir and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegars, tamari, molasses and stir well. Set aside until ready to use.

Stir both components of the dressing before using and add each to taste, tossing to coat vegetables. Start with a small amount and add to taste, as the flavors involved are quite pronounced. I have dressed butter lettuce and roasted asparagus with it and liked the result a lot. In both cases, optionally sprinkle more sesame seed on top of the vegetables.

Store chili oil and vinegar/tamari (in small glass jars) in the refrigerator until needed. Take them out of the refrigerator to bring them back to room temperature before using.

a bit of zing makes roasted asparagus shine

I had heard praise for our club's selection and was therefore eager to read it: I cannot say it captured my attention with either writing style or content. Still, I am grateful to the book for making me try a new ingredient, a great spice that will keep its place in my cabinet and that I am looking forward to using in numerous other dishes.

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¹ The book's page on the author's website
² The Spice and Tea Exchange in Ashland, OR
³ Sichuan Wild Mushroom Sauté with New Zealand Spinach
⁴ New Zealand spinach (not a true spinach, but similar in flavor and usage)
⁵ Recipe of Mole poblano
⁶ Sichuan-Style Asparagus and Tofu Salad Recipe

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

olio al pepe di Sichuan

or launch the olio al pepe di Sichuan audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

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I am also contributing to the May edition of Foodies Read the reading/cooking event hosted by Heather of Based on a True Story.

Visit the linkup page to see what others have read and cooked.

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And I am contributing my butter lettuce salad and asparagus salad to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

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FTC disclosure: I have received the linens free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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oil, chiles, salad, vinaigrette, Chinese cuisine

Comments

[Alicia (Foodycat)]

The dressing sounds lovely!

[Deb in Hawaii]

Both the chili oil and the vinaigrette sound delicious. I am glad the book inspired you to try something new. ;-)

[Claudia]

Just goes to show, it takes all kinds, and everyone has their own taste. I loved her style and content. I also love the idea of your milder chili oil - less heat and more reliance on flavor.

[Wendy]

At least some great inspiration is coming out of this selection. I need to find some of these pepper berries.

[Delaware Girl Eats]

Simona - I didn't know that Sichuan red pepper spice is really from the berry -- hmmm. Always can learn something new. As to the Sichuan memoir, I liked the recipes but never made it totally through reading the book.

[Deb in Hawaii]

And I forgot to thank yu for sharing your chili oil and salads with Souper Sundays this week too! ;-)

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Alicia :) I love the bright red color (besides the flavor)

[Simona Carini]

Yes, yes. I've become a convert to Sichuan pepper :)

[Simona Carini]

Agree, Claudia. I prefer complex flavors than intense heat and found a way of tasting and "experiencing" the Sichuan pepper while pleasing my palate. I like when a reading pushes me out of my comfort zone.

[Simona Carini]

Indeed, Wendy. I hope you find some Sichuan pepper. It's quite special and unique. And so pretty :)

[Simona Carini]

I also didn't know the details about Sichuan pepper until I read the book and decided to investigate further, Cathy. I am so glad I did :)

[Simona Carini]

You are welcome, Deb. It is always a pleasure to participate :)

[heather]

Your photos are lovely.

[Frank]

I'm a big fan of Fuschia Dunlop, though I didn't know she had done a memoir/travel book, but judging from her cookbooks, it must be fascinating. Her Every Grain of Rice is a real treasure-trove of simple home-cooking Sichuan recipes. I love it. Lots of Sichuan peppercorns, of course... ;-) Her latest is Land of Fish and Rice, which focuses on Jiangnan cookery which, I have to admit, I know very little about apart from a few Shanghaiese dishes. Chinese cuisine is so incredibly rich and varied, much like Italian cuisine.

[Debra Eliotseats]

This is a very different chile recipe than what I made. Would love to try this one, Simona.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Heather :)

[Simona Carini]

The book was published in 2008, Frank. Personally, I would not recommend it. This of course does not say anything about her talent as a cookbook writer. I agree with you that Chinese cuisine is rich and varied, understandably enough given the size of the country, the different climates and traditions that feed into it. Two years ago I had the fortune to meet a young Chinese whose restaurant in NYC specializes in beautiful pasta.

[Simona Carini]

I toned down the heat quite a bit, Debra. Love the process, the result and the beautiful color :)