Red Chilli Oil for Dumplings

Steps

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1. 1
   Prepare the hard spices: keep the cassia bark, bay leaf, and star anise whole; lightly crush the black cardamom to release the flavour of the seeds inside.
   ≈0:48
2. 2
   Prepare the soft aromatics: trim the roots from the spring onions and cut them into decent-length pieces; cut the ginger and red onion into appropriate sizes.
   ≈2:01
3. 3
   Heat the oil to just before the smoking point, around 200–210°C. Add both the hard and soft aromatics, stirring occasionally, until the soft aromatics turn quite brown.
   ≈3:26
4. 4
   Turn off the heat and remove the aromatics. Let the fragrant oil cool down to around 120–130°C.
   ≈4:32
5. 5
   Dump all the chilli flakes into the warm oil at once and stir well to combine.
   ≈4:45
6. 6
   Let the oil stand for about an hour, stirring once or twice during this time to allow the chilli flavour to fully infuse into the oil.
   ≈4:58
7. 7
   Pour the finished red chilli oil into a clean jar for storage.
   ≈5:16