Chilli Oil is a great addition to table condiments, and easy to make. We recommend using dried chillies (you can use fresh as well, but chilli oil made with fresh chillies should only be kept for a couple of weeks and stored in the fridge). The heat from dried chillies will take a few weeks to build up in the oil. Experiment with different chillies for heat and flavour – maybe a mix of a few different chilli species:
Ingredients:
3x home grown dried Habaneros (substitute for a Superhot like Bhut Jolokia if you like it HOT!)
3x home grown dried Aji Red or Aji Limon (could also use Ring of Fire)
Preparation:
De-stalk the chillies, crush into flakes (pestle and mortar, coffee grinder or scissors). Lightly roast the flakes in a frying pan – careful not to burn them.
Add flakes to 1Ltr of oil. If you are using the oil for cooking, sunflower or groundnut works well, for the table, Olive or Rapeseed oil. Leave oil for a few weeks before testing. Leave longer if you want more heat.
You can then either top-up the oil as you use it, or strain-out the flakes to hold the oil at the same heat level.