Breton Sichuan Málà Chile

Name: Breton Sichuan Málà Chile
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 2¾ cups (650 ml)
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 2 oz (60g) mixed dried chiles (arbol, Japones, pasilla...) Dried Chile; 3 tbsp (15g) Sichuan Pepper; 2 cups (500ml), preferably caiziyou (roasted rapeseed) Canola Oil; 4 medium cloves (10-15g), smashed Garlic; one 1/2-inch knob (about 30g), smashed Ginger; 1 medium (about 45g), roughly chopped Shallot; 1 stick Cinnamon; 3 dried Bay Leaf; 2 whole pods Star Anise; 1 tbsp (8g) whole Fennel Seed; one 2-inch piece orange zest Orange; 3/4 cup (75g) ground Sichuan er jing tiao or Korean chile flakes Gochugaru; 2 tbsp (16g) white, optional Sesame Seed; 1/2 tsp (2g), optional Msg; 1 tsp (4g) kosher Salt

Independent adaptation of a publicly published J. Kenji López-Alt recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by J. Kenji López-Alt.

Sichuan Málà Chile from a national-award-winning chef.

Ratio

Canola Oil 500 ml

Ingredients

Dried Chile — 2 oz (60g) mixed dried chiles (arbol, Japones, pasilla...)
Sichuan Pepper — 3 tbsp (15g)
Canola Oil — 2 cups (500ml), preferably caiziyou (roasted rapeseed)
Garlic — 4 medium cloves (10-15g), smashed
Ginger — one 1/2-inch knob (about 30g), smashed
Shallot — 1 medium (about 45g), roughly chopped
Cinnamon — 1 stick
Bay Leaf — 3 dried
Star Anise — 2 whole pods
Fennel Seed — 1 tbsp (8g) whole
Orange — one 2-inch piece orange zest
Gochugaru — 3/4 cup (75g) ground Sichuan er jing tiao or Korean chile flakes
Sesame Seed — 2 tbsp (16g) white, optional
Msg — 1/2 tsp (2g), optional
Salt — 1 tsp (4g) kosher

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Companion jar

Breton Sichuan Málà Chile wants a whisk and a stove — make it from this page.

The jar carries pour-and-shake sauces. These are its closest cousins from kitchens like this one:

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Cedarbench Korean GochujangNATIONAL AWARD WINNER
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Build the companion jar

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Provenance

J. Kenji López-Alt is a cookbook author working in Food science / wok cookery; recognized with James Beard Book Award: Single Subject 2023 (The Wok); James Beard Book Award: General Cooking 2016 (The Food Lab).

Originally published as Sichuan Málà Chile Oil.

Adapted from a recipe published by J. Kenji López-Alt in The Wok (W.W. Norton 2022) via The Dinner Plan authorized reprint.

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces — its companion jar is below.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts follow the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from The Wok (W.W. Norton 2022) via The Dinner Plan authorized reprint (published as “Sichuan Málà Chile Oil”). Full citation lives in Provenance.

Companion jar