Sichuan Chili Oil

For as long as I can remember, this simple ingredient has been the base of my love affair with Asian cuisine. I can still remember every single restaurant that kept this staple on the table, delighting me before even tasting the actual food.  I am not quite sure why it took so many years to finally give it a go at home and I must disclose that this is by no means an authentic take at making Sichuan Oil, it just suffices my craving at home and was too easy to not share. 

Ingredients:

1 bag of Sichuan Red Chili Powder (the version I purchased can be found here
1 cup of oil (I used olive oil for this batch, you can swap it for peanut, avocado or anything lighter) 
1 tsp salt (to taste) 

Directions: 

In a small sauce pan heat oil over medium/low

Slowly stir in 3/4 cups of chili powder to the 1 cup of oil (I kept adding until there was slightly more oil than peppers)

Continuously stir, making sure it is not bubbling. The chili flakes can burn easily so you want to make sure the oil is never too hot

Mix in salt to taste

After the oil mixture has had time to cool, carefully store in a glass jar