A delicious Japanese chili oil recipe much better than the store-bought one
We all know that person who puts chili oil on everything. Maybe you’re that spice enthusiast yourself, in which case, I can only recommend this Japanese recipe that will add a little more fire to your ramen and gyoza!
What is Rayu Sauce?
It’s sometimes called “La-yu” or “Ra-yu” on some labels, but these terms refer to exactly the same thing. Rayu sauce is a chili oil found on many Japanese tables, and for good reason, as this oil is not quite like others.
Infused with chili and Sichuan pepper, it goes without saying that the oil adds quite a bit of pep to your dishes. So far, nothing too extraordinary, you might say; a chili oil, as simple as can be.
However, the blend of plain sesame oil and toasted sesame oil used as a base brings intensity and depth to the sauce, with a unique light nutty flavor. For those who aren’t too comfortable with spiciness, Rayu sauce is a good compromise.
It’s fragrant, intense without being overwhelming, and above all, very versatile. To give a kick to stir-fries, noodles or as a dipping sauce for gyoza (by adding it to my gyoza sauce recipe, for example), Rayu sauce is fantastic.
For many, what’s even more interesting is the versatile aspect of Rayu sauce. For the average person who uses chili oil, it often happens that a built-in filter in the oil bottle prevents the spices from reaching the plate.
In Japan, what people love about Rayu sauce is that you can vary the pleasures and combine taste and texture. It’s therefore entirely possible to pour the pieces of ginger, green onion shoots, and garlic at the same time as the oil. It almost makes it an oil to crunch on, in fact! It adds a bit of crunchiness to the dish, at your discretion of course.
This variant is called “Taberu rayu”. But that’s another story. For this recipe, we’ll mainly focus on the plain Rayu sauce. We will indeed infuse the ingredients in the oil but we’ll remove them at the end of the preparation.
The Main Ingredients of Rayu Sauce
Sesame oil: for Rayu sauce, I like to mix untoasted and toasted sesame oil. It gives a smooth, rich, and nutty aspect to the base of the chili oil. Be careful not to burn the oil during cooking.
Green onion shoots: once infused and cooked in the oil, they also bring that grilled flavor that makes all the difference. Young onions are mild, subtle, and in a way, complement the sesame oil well, in contrast to the other spicier elements. It’s a bit like the same principle as green onion oil.
Chili flakes: many use two varieties of chilies for Rayu sauce, namely Shichimi Togarashi, a Japanese spicy seasoning blend, and gochugaru, from Korea. Note that Korean chili is milder than its Japanese counterpart. Those who aren’t afraid of spice can mix both to intensify the chili oil.
Sichuan pepper: it has this particular effect of bringing spiciness while giving a touch of freshness due to its citrusy flavors. It also brings that characteristic tingling effect, perfect for a chili oil! The authentic recipe would rather use sansho pepper, typically Japanese, but it’s quite difficult to find in France and as it’s from the same family as Sichuan pepper, the flavor profile is very similar
Rayu Sauce – Japanese Chili Oil
Ingredients
- 150 ml sesame oil untoasted
- 70 ml sesame oil toasted
- 6 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 slices of ginger
- 7 green parts of scallions
- 35 g pepper flakes preferably Japanese like togarashi
- 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns or sansho
Procédé
- In a wok, add the oils, garlic, ginger, and young onions150 ml sesame oil, 70 ml sesame oil, 6 cloves garlic, 2 slices of ginger, 7 green parts of scallions
- Heat the mixture over low heat.
- Cook and slowly extract the flavors from the aromatics without burning them for about 15 minutes from the moment the oil starts to sizzle.
- After 15 minutes, turn off the heat. Remove the aromatics from the oil using a fine skimmer
- With the heat off, add the chili and Sichuan pepper35 g pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns
- Stir quickly and infuse the oil with chili flakes and peppercorns using the residual heat of the oil.
- Let it infuse and cool completely at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, transfer the La-yu oil to a glass jar.
