It’s easier to think of this as a flavoured mix with striking flavours -packed with a medley of spices and tasting slightly numbing from the addition of sichuan peppercorns. Depending on how much and the type of chillies used, you can make it as fiery as you wish.

Yes, the ingredients list is long but that is how you get those flavours! It would be easier if you buy a packet off the supermarket shelves. In fact, I encourage you to go that route  if you don’t have access to the spices. Try a few brands and then decide which of the brands carry the flavours that you are after.

If you still want to try your hand at making this Dry Chilli Mix and have it taste as delicious as those you can get off supermarket shelves, then don’t leave out the chicken granules.  Flavour enhancers is inherent in most packets of commercial Dry Chilli Mix.  So between MSG and chicken granules, just go with the latter. Omitting it will result in a flat tasting mix. The recipe below is one I came up with based on flavours that I like.

Scroll down to bottom of page, “Tips” section, for ways to use this mix.

Sichuan Dry Chilli Mix

Prep: ~5 minutes
Cook: –
Inactive: –
Level: Easy
Makes: ~1 cup
Oven Temperature: –
Can recipe be doubled? Yes
Make ahead? Keeps well up to 6 months refrigerated

Ingredients

1 cup =8.45 US fl oz =250ml

~2 Tablespoons Sichuan pepper powder*
~1 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
~3/4 Tablespoon salt
~1/2 Tablespoon mushroom powder*
~1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
~1/2 Tablespoon sand ginger powder* OR ginger powder OR galangal powder*
~1/2 Tablespoon sugar
~1/2 Tablespoon chicken granules
~3/4 teaspoon black cardamon powder* OR green cardamon powder* (“powdered form” is quite hard to find, so I often buy whole cardamons and use my coffee grinder to grind it fine)

Dried chillies
~6 and 1/2 Tablespoons (100ml) of a Made in China spicy variety of either a “fine-course” OR “course” ground of dried red chilli (refer to image above)
~3 and 1/2 Tablespoons (50ml) of a Made in China not too spicy variety of a “fine” ground of dried red chilli (refer to image above). I also like the Korean fine-ground variety as it has a lovely flavour and colour. 

OR

~10 Tablespoons (150ml) of a mix of dried chillies that is available to you. The chilli mix should ideally be a combination of “fine”, “fine-coarse”, or “coarse” ground red chilli. You want different textures. Once, when I’d run out of China chillies, I used a mix of pizza chilli flakes and fine ground Indian chilli powder -turned out good. There is also the option of buying whole dried red chillies and whizzing them up in a food processor.

* Harder to find ingredients can be found in grocery stores that stock a wide range of food produce from China. Try online stores as well.

Method

Mix everything
1. Add all ingredients into your storage jar/container/food safe storage bag.
2. Cover/seal and shake to mix well.

Store
1. I keep my Mix refrigerated as I live in an area of high humidity and food spoils quicker.
2. Refrigerated, it last at least 6 months, although it never does last that long in my house.

How to use
1. Please scroll down directly below for details.

Tips

How to use

1. As a meat or fish rub. I will often add more salt when using it as a rub as the mix itself will not be salty enough.
2. Sprinkled over fried foods. For instance, over chips or French fries, sunny-side up eggs, … Again, add more salt to suit your taste.
3. As a seasoning. For instance, to season omelettes, fried noodles, soups, …
4. Sprinkled over cubes of fried tofu, image below and recipe in my next post. So delicious.

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