A dense, oily, granular Taiwanese condiment made with soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, dried brill, and dried shrimp. Serve it in small amounts with Taiwanese hot pots, noodles, stir-fried meats, or blanched vegetables.
Ingredients
- 250 ml soybean oil for cooking
- 120 g fresh shallots
- 8 cloves fresh garlic
- 55 g peeled dried shrimp
- 45 g dried brill for Chinese cooking
- 22 g mild or medium dried red chilies
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp white sugar
Method
- Quickly rinse the dried shrimp and dried brill under cold running water to remove surface salt and dust. Cover them with warm water in a bowl and leave them to soften until they are no longer brittle under your fingers. Drain thoroughly, then pat dry with paper towels: they should be pliable but not wet, or the oil will splatter.
- Open the dried chilies, remove some of the seeds for more even heat if desired, then roughly cut them. Cover them with hot water until they become soft and dark red. Drain and pat them dry like the seafood.
- Thinly slice the shallots and garlic. Keep them separate, since garlic colors faster. Consistency matters: pieces that are too large remain raw in the center, while pieces that are too fine burn before flavoring the oil.
- Put the dried shrimp and dried brill in a dry skillet over low heat. Stir often until a toasted marine aroma emerges and the pieces seem drier and slightly brittle. Do not let them blacken: aim for blond toasting, not bitterness.
- Blend or pound the toasted seafood with the rehydrated chilies. Stop before it becomes a smooth purée: the paste should remain coarse, with small visible pieces of fish, shrimp, and chili.
- Pour the soybean oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low. Add the shallots. Fry slowly, stirring regularly, until they turn golden blond, the bubbles subside, and the aroma changes from raw to sweet and toasted.
- Add the garlic and lower the heat slightly. Stir constantly at first, then very often. The garlic should turn golden ivory and clearly perfume the oil; if it browns too quickly or smells bitter, briefly remove the saucepan from the heat to stop the temperature from rising.
- Add the seafood and chili paste. The mixture should sizzle gently, without boiling violently. Cook, stirring from the bottom of the saucepan, until the paste darkens, the oil rises clearly around the edges, and the texture becomes thick, grainy, and glossy.
- Stir in the paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and sugar. Mix until the powders are completely hydrated by the oil and the color becomes uniformly reddish brown. Taste a smear of the cooled sauce from a spoon: it should be salty, briny, spicy, and slightly sweet, since it is served as a condiment.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture rest in the saucepan until the sizzling stops. Transfer it to a perfectly clean jar, making sure to cover the paste with a layer of oil. Let it mature in the refrigerator before serving: the aroma will become rounder and less aggressive, and the seafood pieces will absorb the fragrant oil.
- To serve, stir the jar so you pick up both the paste and the red oil. Spoon a small amount into a dipping dish, or mix it directly into noodles, blanched vegetables, grilled meats, or Taiwanese hot-pot broth.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 271.1 kcal
- Protein
- 12.37 g
- Carbohydrate
- 8.78 g
- Fat
- 21.24 g
- Fibre
- 1.85 g
- Calcium
- 22.89 mg
- Iron
- 1.15 mg
- Magnesium
- 17.51 mg
