One of our all time favorite dishes was at Chicago’s Lao Sze Chuan, a classic restaurant that serves up hella ma la and more. Their Famous Empress Crab with Dry Chili – Dungeness crab covered in mind- and mouth-numbing peppercorns – continues to beckon for a return visit.
In the meantime, we’ve dreamt up our own Szechuan Chili Oil Powder, infusing the hot layered flavors of the peppercorns into a neutral oil and turning it into aromatic atomic snow. Sprinkle this bold orange powder lightly or liberally onto any dish to call to mind your favorite spicy plate.
Ingredients
- About 12 cloves of garlic (50g)
- 2 Tbsp ginger (25g)
- 1/2 cup onion (50g)
- 1 bunch scallion (whites removed) (50g)
- 1 Tbsp sichuan peppercorns (5g)
- 2/3 cup chili flakes (50g)
- 200g Neutral oil, such as Canola or Peanut
- 3/4 cup N-Zorbit M (16g)
Equipment
- Whipping Siphon
- One N2O charging cartrige
- Food processor
- Superbag
- Silicon Spatula
Timing
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours
Yield
About 1 Cup
-
Mince
Mince garlic, ginger, onions, and slice scallions. Place them into a pan with 2 Tbsp (24g) of oil.
-
Toast
Cook over low heat until golden and fragrant.
Add Szechuan peppercorns and toast for another minute.
Add chili flakes, remove from heat, and cool.
-
Infuse
Place the cooled mixture and remaining oil in a whipping siphon. Charge with one N2O charger. Let sit for an hour. Release the pressure, strain through a fine sieve and reserve the toasted chili mixture for any dish that needs a kick.
-
Powderize
Measure out 24g (2 Tbsp) of chili oil and reserve the rest for future use.
Whisk the N-Zorbit M together with the 24g of chili oil, or put the N-Zorbit M into a food processor and pour chili oil directly on the top. Process for 10 seconds.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for another 10 seconds.
-
Sieve (optional)
For a fine snow, pass the powder through a sieve or 400 micron Superbag. Pass through one spoonful at a timeand press it against the side with a bowl scraper or a silicon spatula.
Summary
Recipe Name
Szechuan Chili Oil Powder
Author Name
Modernist Pantry
Published On
Preparation Time
Total Time
Average Rating
Based on 1 Review(s)
Comments (2)
April 20, 2020 9:38 am
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