As far as condiments go, chilli oil is one that might seem slightly scary or even terrifying, depending on your propensity for the hot stuff. We reckon we’ve managed to track down the tastiest, most versatile version around and the best thing is, it will work for you even if you thought you couldn’t handle anything spicier than a grind of black pepper. Introducing the House of Dumplings Chilli Oil, available to buy in the My Food Bag Kitchen. However you choose to use it, this is one condiment that will never get relegated to the back of the fridge.
1. Dumplings
When it comes to dumplings, most of the flavour is nestled inside the wrapper, whether it’s filled with meat, veg or a combination of both. If you really want to show your dumplings some loving, try dipping them in chilli oil before they take that long-awaited journey to your mouth. Pan fried, boiled or steamed dumplings all work here, we promise.
2. Fried eggs
What’s better than an outrageously crispy egg with a sunny, jammy yolk? An outrageously crispy egg with a sunny, jammy yolk AND a generous splattering of chilli oil. Some might call it mess, we call it art and the greatest thing about art, is that you get to admire it and eat it too.
3. Noodles
A dollop of chilli oil stirred through a bowl of silky, slippery noodles will elevate your whole eating experience in a hot minute. Your stir-fry will be amplified, your ramen will be sining and your plain old bowl of noodles will become the best thing you’ve eaten all week (unless you’ve been eating My Food Bag, of course).
4. Rice
Fried rice, steamed rice, brown rice, white rice. We love it all and we’ve yet to discover a rice that can’t be kicked up a notch with chilli oil. The flavour dissipates once stirred through your dish, but you’ll still experience the delight of spice in every bite.
5. Smashed cucumbers
Here’s a quick trick to turn cucumbers into an addictive and refreshing, yet tongue-tingling side dish. Start with your cucumbers, diced and smashed, then combine them with a mixture of tahini, soy sauce and chilli oil. It really is as easy as that.
6. Tofu
While tofu sometimes gets a bad rap for being bland and tasteless, the beauty of it is how it’s prepared. We reckon we’ve got our tofu cooking method down to perfection (tossed in cornflour and spiced and baked on high) but if you still find yourself craving more bang for your buck, a drizzle of chilli oil will take your humble tofu to dizzying new heights.
7. Pizza
Drizzled on top of your slice, or the perfect pool to dunk your crusts into, we reckon chilli oil and pizza is the way forward. The chilli oil instantly cuts through richness (extra cheese, anyone?) in a way that remains complementary, rather than overpowering. You can thank us later.
8. Salad
You can add chilli oil to your salad dressing or even use it as the dressing itself. We love it on Asian-inspired beef salad or a pan-fried haloumi number packed with fresh herbs. See, we told you it was versatile.
9. Crudités
You give us hummus, we raise you chilli oil. You might have been dipping your fresh, snappy carrots and cucumbers into hummus this whole time but we think you should try chilli oil next. The numbing spice is offset by cooling, refreshing veggies, resulting in a riotous explosion of texture and flavour.
10. Marinade
Sometimes a sprinkle of sea salt and a crack of pepper is enough to flavour your protein but when you’re feeling like a little something extra, try marinating your favourite protein in chilli oil before you cook it. You could also try marinating olives in chilli oil for low-effort, high-impact deliciousness.
