Red oil, also known as chili oil, is one of the commonly used seasonings in Sichuan cuisine. Especially in Sichuan cold dishes, the application of red oil is more common. Red oil refining good or bad, directly affect the dishes, especially cold dishes, the color, taste and quality. So, how can we refine the color red, bright, spicy flavor, quality red oil? According to the author's work experience, refining red oil need to master the following points:

One, the selection of chili peppers

To refine the red and fragrant red oil, choose a good chili pepper suitable for refining red oil is the first step. There are many varieties of chili peppers, various chili peppers have different degrees of color and spiciness. The best chili peppers for refining red oil are those produced in the Sichuan Basin called "Erjinjiao". This kind of chili pepper is slender in shape, bright red in color and glossy, moderately spicy and fragrant. It is made into chili noodles and then refined into red oil, not only red color, and spicy but not dry, rich aroma, so the Sichuan cuisine industry generally use "two gold bars" to refine red oil. Of course, if you want to increase the spiciness of the red oil, you can also add some chili peppers and other chili peppers made of the appropriate amount.

Two, the processing of chili noodles

The use of different methods of processing chili noodles will also affect the taste and quality of the red oil to a certain extent. In the past, the chili noodles used in Sichuan cuisine are usually dried chili peppers cut into short sections and fried in a pot, and then pounded out in a pestle and mortar by artificial means. The red oil refined from this kind of chili noodles has a bright red color and a very fragrant taste. However, most of the chili noodles sold on the market are made of dried chili peppers directly ground into powder in a machine, so using it to refine red oil can not catch up with the effect of the former type of chili noodles in any case. Therefore, if a restaurant wants to ensure the quality of the red oil used, it is best to follow the traditional method of processing their own chili noodles, or designate a workshop for their own special processing of chili noodles. When processing chili noodles, one more thing to pay attention to is that the chili noodles should be ground finely, otherwise, when refining red oil, the red pigment and capsaicin in chili peppers will not be able to fully dissolve out. This refining of red oil will not be red in color, taste not spicy.

Three, the temperature of refining red oil

Refining red oil, are the first chili pepper into the container, and then poured into the hot vegetable oil. Therefore, control the temperature of vegetable oil, is the most important part of the refining of good red oil, but also to determine the quality of red oil key. If the temperature of vegetable oil is too high, when pouring into the container, not waiting for the red pigment and capsaicin in the chili pepper to fully dissolve out, the chili pepper surface will have been burnt and charred. On the other hand, if the temperature of the oil is too low, the red pigment and capsaicin in the chili peppers will not be dissolved, and the red oil will not be spicy and fragrant.

Sichuan cuisine pays more attention to the skills of refining red oil. When refining red oil, the temperature of vegetable oil should be controlled between 120 to 130 degrees Celsius? That is, five or six percent hot , such a temperature can make the chili noodles excellent flavor, but not to the chili noodles burnt burnt. In addition to the oil temperature, but also take into account the dryness of the chili noodles. If the chili noodles are too dry, you can use a little cold water to mix the chili noodles evenly, and then pour hot oil, which can also play a role in lowering the oil temperature, to prevent the chili noodles burnt role. Pouring oil should also be noted that the oil should be poured while using chopsticks to stir the chili noodles, so that the chili noodles fully absorb the oil, in order to achieve the effect of red oil color red, taste spicy.

In addition, in order to increase the flavor of the red oil, you can add some auxiliary materials in the red oil, such as star anise, cinnamon, walnuts with shells and so on. It should also be noted that after the red oil is refined, it should be left to stand for 24 hours before it is used, otherwise the color and aroma are not ideal.

Four, the control of the amount of oil

Refining red oil should master the ratio of chili pepper and vegetable oil. If too much vegetable oil, chili pepper and too little, the refining of red oil natural color and taste are poor; on the contrary, if too much chili pepper and too little vegetable oil, can not take enough red oil, thus making the refining of oil is meaningless. Therefore, when refining red oil, we should not only put enough chili noodles, but also add enough vegetable oil, so as to ensure the quality of red oil. Generally speaking, the ratio of chili pepper flour to vegetable oil is 1:5 or 1:6.