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Spicy food lovers, have you ever considered making your own chili paste at home? It’s a simple process that allows you to customize it according to your liking and will act as an incredible flavor booster for a wide variety of dishes!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Making it at home is a cheaper and tastier option. Why settle for bland and expensive store-bought chili paste when you can easily create a more delicious and cost-effective version at home? Plus, you can rest assured that it’s free from any preservatives and coloring.
- It allows you to customize the heat level. Making chili paste at home lets you control the heat to your liking. By crafting your chili paste, you can ensure your dishes won’t be too hot to handle. We are sharing tips on adjusting the spiciness below in this post.
- It’s incredibly versatile. You can add this tasty chili paste to any dish, whether it’s Asian, Indian, or Mexican. I have been using it often in marinades, but it’s also great for soups, and delicious mixed with dips like hummus! It’s excellent for a vegetable stir-fry as well.
📘 What is Chili Paste
Chili paste is a spicy condiment that is widely used in Asian cuisine. It is typically made with red chilies and other aromatics such as garlic, shallots, lemongrass, etc.
It’s one of the staple ingredients in my pantry, and whether I’m making Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, or Korean cuisine, this simple paste adds a spicy kick and depth of flavor that take any dish to the next level.
Chili Paste vs Chili Sauce
Chili paste and chili sauce are condiments that both contain chili peppers, but while chili paste is thick and spreadable, chili sauce has a smoother and less dense texture. In addition, compared to chili sauce, chili paste has a stronger flavor and deeper color. The spiciness of the paste and sauce is determined by the types of chili peppers used.
Chili Paste vs Sriracha
The texture of chili paste is typically dense and easy to spread, while sriracha sauce tends to have a more fluid consistency that allows for effortless pouring. Besides, sriracha has a sweet, tangy, and garlicky taste, whereas chili paste’s flavor is more focused on the distinct taste of chili.
🌶 Ingredient Notes
This recipe requires just 8 simple ingredients and about 20 minutes to make. Here is what you will need:
- Chili – I opted for red cayenne peppers, but you can use any red chilies commonly found in Asian cuisine. For optimal flavor, I recommend selecting chilies that are as fresh as possible.
- Oil – Preferably choose neutral oils such as grapeseed, canola, or avocado oil.
- Shallots – Shallots add a natural sweetness and a touch of sharpness to the paste.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best results. Avoid substituting it with garlic powder.
- Lemongrass – It adds floral and citrusy flavors.
- Ginger – For a zesty and mildly spicy aroma, it’s crucial to use fresh ginger.
- Sugar and salt – To season.
🥣 How to Make It
- Prepare the red cayenne peppers. Using gloves, remove the stems and seeds of the cayenne peppers and discard them. Finely slice the peppers and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced shallots, garlic, and lemongrass. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until shallots are golden brown. Add the minced ginger and cook for another minute.
- Add the chili peppers. Next, add the red cayenne peppers, sugar, and salt, and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring regularly. You want the peppers to become softer. They should no longer have a raw smell.
- Process. Transfer everything to a food processor. Process for 10-20 seconds or until it forms a slightly chunky paste.
- Store it. Let the paste cool completely before transferring it to a clean glass jar.
📔 Tips
- Adjust the spiciness level. The hotness of this paste will depend on the type of chilies you use. Use hot chilies such as bird’s eye chilis if you like to make a hot paste or mild ones such as red cayenne for a milder taste. Remember that the paste’s color will vary based on the type of chili used.
- Be careful with the peppers. Handle hot peppers safely by wearing gloves, washing your hands thoroughly, and avoiding touching your eyes. This is very important, especially if using hot chilies.
- Regarding the seeds. While it’s best to remove as many seeds as possible from the chilies before blending, a few seeds in the paste won’t hurt either.
- Adjust the consistency to your liking. Use a blender or immersion blender to eliminate chunks for an extra smooth paste.
🔥 Variations
This chili paste is versatile, so feel free to customize it to your liking! Here are a few ideas:
- Make it smoky: Create a slightly smoky twist by adding smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke.
- Add more aromatics: You can infuse the chili paste with more aromatics, such as garlic cloves, galangal, or fresh turmeric. This will also lower the level of spiciness.
- Make it extra spicy: Add some red pepper flakes or chili powder for a super spicy paste.
🍜 What to Serve It With
Chili paste is a versatile ingredient that can elevate any dish. So, don’t limit it to just Asian recipes. It pairs beautifully with many dishes. Here are some mouthwatering options to try:
- Stir into a variety of dishes: Add it to your curries, stir-fried vegetables, fried rice, noodles, soups, ramen bowls, or salads. You can also use it to add a spicy kick to nachos, pasta, pizza, savory tarts, and pies.
- Use it as a spread: In your burgers, sandwiches, wraps, or rolls.
- Stir into dips: Mix it with Greek yogurt or sour cream and serve it as a dipping sauce.
- Use it as a marinade: Mix the paste with some sesame oil and soy sauce and marinate tofu, tempeh, or seitan. It’s also delicious mixed with scrambled tofu!
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: Homemade chili paste will stay fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator stored in an air-tight container or glass jar.
- To freeze: Freeze it in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 6 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and it will be ready to use. You can also freeze the paste in an ice cube tray and then transfer the cubes to a ziplock bag. This ensures that you have the perfect amount of paste whenever you need it without having to thaw the entire container.
💬 FAQ
I do not recommend it as it would completely alter the paste’s texture and taste.
Yes, cooking it in oil is an essential step that greatly improves its shelf life. Besides, cooking the paste will not only intensify its taste but also guarantee that all the ingredients, such as shallots, garlic, and ginger, are perfectly cooked.
Yes, you can use green chilies to make this paste. Again, be aware that the flavor will obviously be different.
You can try some of these solutions if the spiciness level is too strong. You may add lime juice, lemon juice, or a splash of wine. Tomato paste or tomato sauce can also help slightly reduce the spiciness.
If you are looking for a paste that is not only spicy but also flavorful, you should definitely try this recipe. The combination of lemongrass, ginger, and fried shallots is amazing. Combine with some soy sauce and sesame oil for a delicious marinade!
🥫 More Homemade Condiment Recipes
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Homemade Chili Paste
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 8 fresh red cayenne peppers
- 2 large shallots minced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 lemongrass finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the red cayenne peppers. Using gloves, remove the stems and seeds of the cayenne peppers and discard them. Finely slice the peppers and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced shallots, garlic, and lemongrass. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until shallots are golden brown. Add the minced ginger and cook for another minute.
- Add the chili peppers. Next, add the red cayenne peppers, sugar, and salt, and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring regularly. You want the peppers to become softer. They should no longer have a raw smell.
- Process. Transfer everything to a food processor. Process for 10-20 seconds or until it forms a slightly chunky paste.
- Store it. Let the paste cool completely before transferring it to a clean glass jar. It will stay fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
- Use this paste in marinades, soups, dips, bakes, and more! I like to mix it with some sesame oil, soy sauce, and maple syrup to marinate tofu and tempeh.
Notes
- Adjust the spiciness level. The hotness of this paste will depend on the type of chilies you use. Use hot chilies such as bird’s eye chilis if you like to make a hot paste or mild ones such as red cayenne for a milder taste. Remember that the paste’s color will vary based on the type of chili used.
- Be careful with the peppers. Handle hot peppers safely by wearing gloves, washing your hands thoroughly, and avoiding touching your eyes. This is very important, especially if using hot chilies.
- Regarding the seeds. While it’s best to remove as many seeds as possible from the chilies before blending, a few seeds in the paste won’t hurt either.
- Adjust the consistency to your liking. Use a blender or immersion blender to eliminate chunks for an extra smooth paste.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Leave a Comment
I make this all the time for years already, but I do not use any sugar in any of my recipes / foods. I use Maple Syrup. It’s delicious 🙂
Great! Thanks for your feedback!
I’ll have to make this once my peppers are ready for harvest. Any idea how long it will keep? Hoping for another bumper crop from my little garden again this year.
It keeps for about two weeks in the refrigerator.
Thanks for this fantastic recipe
You’re welcome! 🙂
What level of heat would this paste have? I like just a bit of heat otherwise it’s overwhelming. Thanks Thomas for your terrific recipes.
Well, the level of heat depends on your tastes. To me, it’s not too spicy and you can still taste the other aromatics.
Can this be stored for some time
It will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.
If I can’t get fresh cayenne peppers, what would be a good substitute?
Goat horn peppers, or any pepper that is less spicy than the bird’s eye chilis.
[…] preserved bean curd, maple syrup to balance with the saltiness of the tofu, lime juice, and some chili paste. You combine everything in a bowl and mash with a fork to make a paste. Next, add it to the skillet […]
Keep it in deep for two and half week!