May 13
2009

Tantalize your tastebuds with homemade Chili Garlic Paste

in Uncategorized

After that amazing Peking duck dinner we had on Sunday I’ve been craving Chinese food. One of the things we bought when we went to Beijing two years ago was a jar of hot chili sauce that had peanuts in it. My parents tried to see if they could find a source on-line where they could buy some more when they ran out, and discovered that the company who made it had gone out of business. We’ve since tried many different sauces trying to find one that is as good. No luck yet . I was thinking about that sauce a couple of days ago and decided to try my hand at making homemade chili paste. It was surprisingly easy and cheap to do. The result was a potent but flavorful paste. I filled two half-quart jars, keeping one for the Fujis and giving one to my parents. This paste is good on so many things–Chinese food, steamed veggies, stir fry, eggs, meat, etc. Use any combination of your favorite dried peppers (I used mostly medium-spicy Chiles Japones and threw in a couple of Tientsin chilies for extra heat).

Hot Chili Garlic Paste
Makes about 1 quart

3 oz. of any combination of your favorite dried chili peppers
2 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil
Salt
3 cloves peeled garlic (optional)
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Additional oil of choice to cover the top of paste with oil when finished (optional)

1. Put the chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water and a small plate to keep them submerged. (I used an otoshi buta, a bamboo drop lid that is used in Japanese cooking, but you can use anything that will work.) Soak for about 30 minutes, or until chilies are soft.

2. Wearing gloves to protect your hands, clean each chili, remove the stem, and then slit open and scrape out the seeds. (I kept about 1/3 of my seeds for extra heat.) This part makes a mess and takes a while!

3. Put the cleaned chilies and any of the seeds you want to use in a food processor. Add the oil, 2 large pinches of salt, and the garlic and puree.

4. Add water, rice wine vinegar, and toasted sesame oil and continue to puree until consistency is a thick paste.

5. Use immediately or cool, pour a layer of oil over the top, cover tightly, and refrigerate. The paste can be stored this way in the refrigerator for several months. If you choose not to cover it in oil it can be kept refrigerated for about 10 days.

Coming Friday: Whip up a little something to spread your chili garlic paste on.

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

mumay's pantry bin May 13, 2009 at 7:17 pm

this looks so good …. you are right , you can add this almost to anything … love using this on ramen soup…. dumplings and pork buns …now i have to stop,i’m getting hungry!

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Danica's Daily May 13, 2009 at 9:21 pm

great step by step photos. I never thought of making my own but you make it look so easy. I should try it.

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K and S May 14, 2009 at 5:26 am

mmm I wonder if you will make ebi-chili??

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Kaye Prince May 14, 2009 at 9:30 am

Wow, this looks so good! Thanks for sharing; I’m definitely going to try making my own.

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inti May 14, 2009 at 3:39 pm

I suppose its like a version on Harisa paste – lots of cuisines around the world use chili’s. I think it would be easier to remove the seeds before you soak them, so they wouldn’t stick to everything.. or is there a reason you didnt? Sweet blog yo!

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John Newman May 15, 2009 at 12:30 am

Simple and amazing. I can see so many uses for this (although I can’t wait to come back for your special something). I wonder if you could hot pack can this for even longer food storage options. Hmmm …

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Julia May 15, 2009 at 9:24 am

This is a great idea! Maybe I’ll try it some day.

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Fuji Mama May 15, 2009 at 10:11 am

inti– It’s totally easier to remove seeds before rehydrating chilis. The only reason I didn’t do this is that I wasn’t sure how many of the seeds I wanted to use, and I wanted to taste the rehydrated chilis to test their heat before committing. It’s easier to rehydrate the seeds while they’re still in the chilies!

John– You could totally hot pack this!

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slow-1 May 15, 2009 at 3:07 pm

Wow, I now have something to do with the big ole bunch of dried peppers I have sitting in my pantry.

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Hilary Cable May 15, 2009 at 5:21 pm

I was just thinking last night that I needed to find a recipe like this. Perfect! Making it tonight. Love the photos, too!

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Deseree May 15, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Yum! I love chili paste but have never thought of making it at home. I had no idea it was so easy. Thank you for sharing!

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katie May 15, 2009 at 9:12 pm

I saw this on foodgawker and had some dried chili’s in my kitchen so I had to try it. I just made some and can tell it’s going to be SPICY! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!

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Deeba @Passionate About Baking May 15, 2009 at 10:41 pm

Just tantalizing…it’s lovely!!

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babafaye2004 March 26, 2011 at 12:18 am

interesting, maybe a good present for toni/bob or don/erica?

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