I learned to love Chinese Hot Chili Oil while living as an expat in Hong Kong as a teenager. Sadly, very few places have authentic chili oil and lots of them give you cheap imitations. I was able to find it in Asian markets, on Amazon, and sometimes in your local grocery store, but it never quite scratched my itch. I finally decided I needed to try and make it at home. This condiment can go in any dish or is fantastic with just plain white rice.

While I assume this ancient deliciousness was not originally created in a Brava Oven, I have adapted the recipe accordingly:

Ingredients
5 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Bay Leaves
3 Tbsp. Sichuan Pepper Flakes (Use Chinese style and not Italian)
1 1/2 C. Neutral Oil (Caiziyou Roasted Rapeseed Oil is preferable, Peanut Oil works great too!)
3/4 C. Sichuan Pepper Flakes (In addition to the 3 Tbsp needed for the Oil)
1-2 Tsp. Salt to Taste

1 - Pour Oil into Square Pan
2 - Sear bottom for 3.5 minutes
3 - Add aromatics (Anise, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, 3 tbsp Sichuan Pepper Flakes)
4 - Bake for 280 for 1 hour
5 - Remove Square pan and pour oil/aromatic mixture through a fine mesh strainer over the chili flakes in a heatproof bowl.
6 - Add salt to taste
7 - Allow chili oil to cool
8 - Pour over an old shoe and enjoy

Note - Normally I hate recipes that say you can use whatever spices you want but it really is true in this case and you should experiment with cloves, cardamom, dried ginger, etc. You can even add whole cloves of garlic, big chunks of onion (leave the skin on both, you are only trying to infuse the flavors into the oil.)