Fried Red Chilli flakes are a special and essential condiment in Burmese cuisine. I find that a pinch of these in a savory dish elevates the dish to a whole new level!
If you’ve been a regular reader here, you’ll know the zillion references I’ve made to Fried Red Chilli Flakes – because I LOVE it! I have a rather spicy palette and when asked at restaurants how hot I want my order to be, I always say ‘as hot as it can go’! I blame my grandmother (who was raised in Burma) for that, because she’s the one that introduced me to this lovely condiment that’s an essential in Burmese cuisine.
Let’s Spice things up!
Heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and deep fry 1 cup of dry long red chillies on medium heat. Once it starts to change color (deeper red not turn brown/black), drain and let cool. If there’s any oil left, bottle it up and use whenever Chilli Oil is called for, particularly in stir-fries. The heat and flavour of the oil permeates to the bone of whatever you cook in it and it’s a culinary thrill I cannot explain.
Pulse the fried red chillies in the blender until it’s pulverized. Store in a clean dry jar (glass or steel, because it will stain plastic) and add a pinch to whatever you make! And don’t forget to send me pictures – I’d love me some more ideas of how to use these babies!
For now, start by making one of these:
Matthew says
I had no idea this was a thing. I have been frying up crushed red pepper, draining off the oil and adding a bit of pink salt and nutritional yeast to have as an occasional snack for keto. It covers my cravings for salty spicy and cheesy and two teaspoons is about 1.5 grams of carbs.
Tina Dawson says
Sounds so delicious!!! I hope you save the oil after frying the chillies, coz that’s flavor gold!
Emily says
Wow! This fried chilli flakes looks amazing!! And I also can’t lack of it when eating almost Asian foods! Love your mentioning to this wonderful spice. I’m a huge fan of it!
Tina Dawson says
Ah, a fellow Red chilli Flake sister! I truly cannot imagine life without this condiment. Thank you so much!
Evi says
I will definitely be frying my chili flakes! I love how yours came out.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Evi! It’s actually fried chilli – that’s been ground into flakes – if you fry chilli flakes, it might be hard to strain out of the oil! Good Luck!
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
Love the sound of these! I’ve got to make these to bring my Asian cooking a whole new depth of flavor! Where is Burma was your grandmother from? I Spent a month in Burma in 2013 traveling around and loved it!
Tina Dawson says
She was born and raised in Rangoon…. 🙂 I can’t wait to go there myself!
Platter Talk says
Thanks for this idea! I have a place that sprinkles these around their calamari and I love it!
Tina Dawson says
Oh, that is sooo coool! I hope you try it too Dan!
Kim @ Three Olives Branch says
What a great idea! Perfect for all my leftover peppers that I harvested. Yum!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Kim! I hope you like it as much as I do!
Taylor says
I love anything spicy! I could totally see myself using this in a stir fry or my favourite pasta arrabiatta!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Taylor! I love it SOOO much!