Excellent, thank you for your response 🙂

Thanks for your feedback, Razia! You can infuse the oil with spices like star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns for more depth, similar to my classic chili oil recipe. Frozen Thai chilies work fine for Chiu Chow chili oil—just thaw them slightly. Adjusting the chili ratio and adding more garlic should help balance the heat to suit your own taste. Hope your next batch is perfect!

thank you so much for another great recipe. I am giving it 4stars instead of 5 as it is fiery!! I used mild to spicy (thai) chillies in the ration of 4:1 (instead of 3:2) and also left out the chilli flakes but it’s still “blow your head off” spicy for me and I can barely taste the garlic behind the “fire” 😀 Also, I am by now so used to your chilli oil recipe that i really miss that depth of flavour that comes from the various spices used.

I will try making this again with only 10% de-seeded thai chillies and a bit more garlic. Do you think adding spices to the oil with the onions would work? If yes, which spices would you recommend? Also, i now have a lot of frozen thai chillies. Can I use these to make chiu chow sauce?

Thanks in advance for your anwer 🙂

Love,
Raz

Thank you so much, Kate! So happy to hear this recipe brought back memories of your time in China. It’s the best compliment to know it captures that authentic taste!

Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found it flavorful. Homemade chili oil really does make all the difference—enjoy adding it to everything!

Thanks, Wei for amending the recipe and I’ll do the same for my copy. I note that the garlic is about half of what had been used; no wonder mine was too garlicky! From this one recipe I filled 3 jars of the size of the Lee Kum Kee spice paste jars so it’ll take a while to finish. I hope to do better the next time!

Thank you, Susan, for your thoughtful questions! Yes, I use smaller garlic bulbs, so your yield of 322g from 5 heads is larger than mine. I’ll update the recipe with weight measurements—thanks for pointing that out!

It’s better to let the chili oil cool completely before bottling to prevent condensation and ensure safe handling. For the best flavor, I like letting it infuse for at least 12 hours before using. I hope you enjoy your chili oil!