Original House-made Chili Oil
Hand-toasted in small batches from a Northeast Chinese family recipe. Six ingredients, no shortcuts, and roughly twice the crisp of anything on a supermarket shelf.
Love it or we'll refund you
Thirty days, no return shipping, keep the jar. We'd rather hear why it missed than lose you quietly.
Details
An 8 oz jar of hand-toasted chili oil. Erjingtiao chili, Sichuan peppercorn, fresh garlic, cold-pressed rapeseed oil, toasted sesame, sea salt. That's the whole list.
Ingredients
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil, erjingtiao chili, fresh garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, toasted sesame seeds, sea salt. Vegan. No MSG, gluten, nuts, or preservatives. Made in a kitchen that also handles wheat.
Shipping & returns
Ships within 1–2 business days. Free over $45. If it isn't for you, tell us within 30 days for a full refund — no need to send the jar back.
Storage
Keep it in the cupboard, not the fridge. Use a dry spoon. Best within three months of opening, though it won't spoil after that — it just quietly loses its aroma.
Start with eggs. Then stop being careful.
It behaves like a finishing salt: a spoonful at the end of cooking, not the beginning.
Fried eggs
The gatewayCold noodles
Ten minutesDumplings
Where it beganSteak
Trust usRice and a fried egg
Dinner in six minutesRamen
Instant, upgradedSix ingredients, and a reason for each one
Nothing here is filler. Take any one out and it stops tasting like our mother's.
Erjingtiao chili
The chili that gives Sichuan cooking its smell rather than its burn. Moderate heat, high aroma, and a red that comes out of the pepper instead of out of a bottle.
Sichuan peppercorn
Not heat, exactly. A citrusy numbness across the lips that makes the chili taste brighter than it is. Most supermarket brands skip it because it's expensive and it fades.
Garlic
Sliced fresh and fried slowly until it turns the colour of honey, then pulled off the heat a moment before it would go bitter.
Rapeseed oil
Traditional for this recipe and worth the cost. A faint nuttiness neutral oils don't have, and it holds its flavour past smoking point.
Toasted sesame
Toasted in a dry pan until they start jumping, then folded in at the end so they stay whole.
Sea salt
The only preservative in the jar. Enough to season the oil and keep it stable, not enough to taste like salt.
Why it costs more than the supermarket jar
| Attribute | Lao Ma | Supermarket chili oil |
|---|---|---|
| Batch size | 40 jars, made to order | Industrial runs, warehoused |
| Base oil | Cold-pressed rapeseed | Soybean or blended oil |
| Chili | Whole, toasted same day | Pre-ground, months old |
| Sichuan peppercorn | Yes — that's the tingle | Usually omitted |
| Ingredient count | Six | Twelve to twenty |
| MSG, preservatives | None | Commonly both |
| Solids to oil | Roughly half the jar | A thin layer at the bottom |
| Time from wok to you | Days | Six to twelve months |
The reorder rate is the review we care about
I bought it for dumplings and now I'm putting it on scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and once, regrettably but deliciously, ice cream. Third jar.
I grew up eating my grandmother's version and I've never found one in a store that came close. This one does. The peppercorn is actually there.
Warning: the crunch-to-oil ratio ruins other brands for you permanently. I tried going back to the supermarket one and couldn't.
Bought it as a gift, opened it 'just to check', ended up ordering two more and keeping the original. Not sorry.
Heat is medium — noticeable but you can eat a spoonful. It's more fragrant than hot, which is exactly what I wanted.
The garlic. That's it, that's the review. Whatever they're doing to the garlic, don't stop.
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Questions we actually get
How spicy is it, really?
Medium. Around a 5 out of 10 — you'll feel it, but you can eat a spoonful straight without regretting your life. The Sichuan peppercorn adds a numbing tingle that reads as more complex than hot.
How long does it keep?
Six months unopened in a cool cupboard, and about three months once opened. Most people finish a jar in three to four weeks.
Does it need refrigerating?
No. Keep it in the cupboard. Refrigerating makes the oil cloudy and solid — harmless, but annoying. Use a dry spoon each time.
When will it arrive?
We ship within one to two business days, and most orders arrive in three to six. You'll get tracking as soon as it leaves the kitchen.
What if I don't like it?
Tell us within 30 days and we'll refund you — you don't need to send the jar back.
Is there MSG, gluten, or nuts?
No MSG, no gluten, no nuts, no preservatives. Six ingredients, and it's vegan.
Put it on eggs tomorrow morning
Made this week, shipped this week. If it isn't the best chili oil in your kitchen, we'll refund you and you can keep the jar.
Add to cartFree shipping over $45 · Ships in 1–2 days · 30-day guarantee