Garlic Oil

This a phenomenal addition to everyday cooking and something worth making from time to time to have in your fridge to improve the flavour of almost everything you make.

It also saves you having to chop garlic if you are making a quick soup or a serving of something plain like noodles for a quick lunch.

There are harder versions of this on line but as always - I don’t see any reason for the extra hassle.

I always have dried chilli and HoiSin sauce in my cupboard because they are essential for stir fry and both Indian and Chinese recipes. I use these here but this oil is not very spicy and the HoiSin is just for sweetness and this oil will work perfectly in Italian Cooking or Tomato Soup.

·     120  g peeled garlic (make sure to remove any green stem from the centre)

·    1 shallot

·    280 mls of olive oil

·    1 small fresh red chilli chopped or 1 dried whole long chilli chopped

·    1 tsp of Sugar 

·    2 tsp HoiSin sauce

·    1/2 tsp of Salt 

Put your garlic and shallot into a chopper and process it until well chopped. Divide this mixture in half.

Chop the chilli finely. Do not substitute with any other chilli eg bird eye, jalapeño, scotch bonnet etc.

Add your oil to a pan and get it to a moderate heat and add half your garlic and shallot mixture taking care not to burn it. Keep stirring and watch the heat reducing it if necessary. Do this for about 6 minutes.

Turn the heat down and add the rest of your garlic and shallot mixture, the chopped chilli, the salt and the HoiSin.

Keeping the heat low stir this over the heat for about 5 minutes.

Put it in a jar or 2 jars and allow it cool. Once cool put it in the fridge where it will keep for at least 4 weeks.