Where can I buy Hot CRUSHED RED PEPPERS IN OIL???

Question

Where can I buy that REALLY hot red pepper sauce thats in oil, the kind that you can find on the chinese buffets next to the red sauce and other condiments on the buffet line. What is it's name???

Answer 1

Easy go to a Chinese grocery store and ask for red oil or "lat you". The (most probably) Cantonese clerk will think you're crazy, and may try to dissuade you out of well meant concern. Cantonese do not use it in Cantonese cooking.. Assure him/her that that is what you want. It is cheap and easy to find.
Failing that A Vietnamese, Indonesian, or Malaysian shop may call the sauce "sambal oeleck",.
If you cannot locate an oriental grocery, try this simple recipe. Heat half cup of vegetable oil up to the point where it is almost smoking. Allow it to cool a little then put two and a half tablespoonsof chiliflakes into the oil and stirLet stand 2 to 4 days. Then filter the mixture through cheese cloth. Reserve the flakes and place the oil in a jar that can be closed tightly store in the refidgerator or freeze some of it and cool the rest.
You can store it at room temperature but it will lose its heat more quickly. Store it in a cool and dry place. cover the bottle with a dark plastic or cloth to stop light getting through.
Good luck.
Dan the Answers-Man.
Extra points gratefully accepted & never refused.

Answer 2

The Mandarin name is "la jiao jiang," which means "hot pepper sauce," or sometimes "la you," which means "hot oil." You can find it at bigger Asian supermarkets if there are any near you; in the Pacific Northwest look for Uwajimaya markets, in the San Francisco Bay Area look in the Ranch 99 chain... dunno where to look in other parts of the country.

You CAN make it yourself, however -- it's very easy. First, get a package of crushed red dried chiles (look in the Mexican section of your supermarket, that's the BEST place to find spices and herbs for a fraction of the price of the stuff in bottles). Or you can start with whole dried red peppers if that's all you can find; I like either "chile japones" (Spanish for "Japanese chile") or dried cayenne peppers for this application (though I bet the fierce little chile pequins that I bought would be awesome!). I've also bought crushed red pepper flakes at Papa Murphy's, those would work fine, and I'm pretty sure that's a national chain.

To make it: Heat a small saucepan over medium-high for about three minutes, then toss in the dried chile flakes. Careful -- if it's too hot you will be unable to breathe (ask me how I know...) This toasts the chiles and brings out a nice flavor in them, and it's also why the stuff in Chinese restaurants is more brown than red.

After just a few seconds of this (and before the smoke makes your lungs close up), slowly pour a little vegetable oil over the pepper flakes, just enough to cover them and maybe a little more. Use vegetable oil, safflower oil, or peanut oil -- don't use olive oil for Chinese food (though it's great for Italian food!) and don't use sesame oil (it's too delicate and will burn, then spoil).

Stir the dried chiles in the oil and let them stay on medium heat for a few minutes, then remove them from the heat and let cool. When the pan is down to room temperature, pour the oil and chiles into an airtight container and store it in the fridge till you use it. (If you store it in a plastic container like a Tupperware, the chiles WILL stain it red; I'd probably use a disposable Ziploc container.)

That's really all there is to it. Note: this stuff loses potency as it ages, and the stuff you've had in restaurants is probably old. Meaning use caution with the first dab, as it may be hotter than you're used to. (It's like the first squirt out of the Tabasco bottle, it's always hotter than the last squirts from the bottle you just used up.)

Now, if you like that sort of thing and you go into an Asian market, look for a couple other variations on this basic idea:

Tuong ot-toi viet nam: Vietnamese red chile paste with garlic. It's BRIGHT red, made from fresh (not dried) chiles, it's chunky and it's got seeds in it. It's also VERY hot, VERY garlicky, and WONDERFUL. Usually found in a small, cylindrical plastic jar with a green lid; I've bought "Uncle Chen" brand and it's good.

Tuong ot-toi sriracha: Smooth Vietnamese red chile paste, a little sweeter than the other style and smooth, almost like ketchup but orange-red and pretty darn hot. I put it on hot dogs, hamburgers, you name it. It's in a taller bottle with a green spout on top, and usually has a drawing of a rooster on the label.

Sambal Oelek: Almost identical to the first stuff, chunky fresh chiles with garlic and a little vinegar. GREAT to throw over noodles, into ramen, on dumplings, orwhatever. Add a little rice vinegar and some soy sauce and you have your own dim sum dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Answer 3

Why don't you make it yourself for pennies? Here's the recipe it's to simple! But if you must buy it here's a link or two!

Chinese Hot Oil (La yu)

A spicy Chinese condiment that can also be used in cooking to add heat to spicy dishes.

4 teaspoons dried chili flakes (, the same kind you put on pizza)
5 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 servings

10 minutes 5 mins prep

Heat the oil in a sauce pan until it's just hot enough so that the chile flakes sizzle like crazy when you add them- but not so hot that they burn.
Turn off the heat.
Stir the flakes into the oil.
Let cool.
You can strain the oil or leave the flakes in it.
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Answer 4

Make it yourself hun. Buy a bag of red crushed chili's. In a small saucepan start with 1/4 cup of olive oil, add the chili's. Heat on medium low. If you want it more runny add more oil. Heat to infuse the chili's into the oil. (do not boil) about 15-20 min. Take off heat. Stir in 2tbsp of sesame oil, put into a decorative oil bottle or a mason jar. Do not store in fridge. Store in dark cupboard. Yummy.

Answer 5

Chinese Hot Oil Red Pepper

Answer 6

Does it taste the same if you make it homemade? I know the one on the buffet has a unique taste.

Answer 7

it is a specialty spice, get it at Asian food stores or make your own, get dryed hot pepper, hot sesame oil mix them together with a dash of vinegar and there you have it!

Answer 8

Most grocery stores should have it in their ethnic section. If you can't find it there, try an Asian food market.