Homemade Din Tai Fung chili oil, the ultimate spicy flavor bomb!
What is best to dip your freshly steamed xiao long bao dumplings, wontons or noodles in? Try out our homemade Din Tai Fung chili oil, a delight!
You have probably heard of Din Tai Fung before.
We love DTF.
The food is amazing, but you know what we also love about it?
Their Din Tai Fung chili oil!
Red gold in a jar.
It is rich and oily and spicy and contains just the right amount of heat.
Put it on noodles and wontons and in soups and what not.
It is even great with classic roast chicken, believe us!
We have visited Din Tai Fung many times while traveling in Asia, please read our review to see what delicious food you can get there!
Where can I find Din Tai Fung?
DTF in a Taiwanese restaurant chain that dotes on serving outstanding gourmet food.
Key for DTF is the selection of the best ingredients, attention to detail in their food preparation, mastering high level traditional cooking techniques and provide the best possible tableside service to all their customers.
Not surprisingly there are many DTF branches in Taiwan.
But where else in the world can you also find them?
In Japan, the US, China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Philippines and the UK.
You can check here exactly where to find a restaurant!
What chili oil do they use at Din Tai Fung?
Their very own Din Tai Fung chili oil of course!
Because their sauces are so popular Din Tai Fung decided to sell them online so you can enjoy them at home as well.
Their range contains 3 sauces: their signature Taiwan chilli oil, Fragrant Chilli Sauce and Premium XO Sauce.
Which one have you already tasted?
Leave a message in the comment section below!
Is Din Tai Fung chili oil the same as Lao Gan Ma?
No, Lao Gan Ma is also a chili sauce but it is not as spicy as the DTF chili oil.
It contains chili pepper, fermented soybeans, garlic and onions. Lao Gan Ma sauce is known for its irresistibly crisp texture and caramelised onion aftertaste.
Din Tai Fung chili oil has more spices in it and no onion.
What is the sauce at Din Tai Fung? What kind of vinegar is at Din Tai Fung?
On each table at DTF there are 3 condiments.
Black vinegar, soy sauce and their delicious Din Tai Fung chili oil.
Once you have ordered, you will also get a small plate with fresh ginger and little bowls.
So what to do with it?
You can make your own dipping sauce for the food that is coming!
How do you make Din Tai Fung Ginger?
Put some of the fresh ginger in your dipping bowl and add black vinegar and soy sauce.
We think that a good ratio here at Din Tai Fung is about 3 parts black vinegar to 1 part soy sauce. And just add their famous chili oil to taste to add extra heat and spiciness.
Mix it all up and dip your fresh and steaming xiao long bao dumplings, wontons or noodles in it!
We sure love our dumplings…
But where do we get them from?
There are 3 ways: freshly made at the Chinese bakery here in town – they just need a good steam, or buy them frozen at the Asian supermarket – you can find dumplings with plenty of different fillings.
Or, you just make them yourself.
Check our June’s recipe for homemade pot stickers – Japanese dumplings!
Our Homemade Din Tai Fung Chili Oil
Ingredients for ½ cup
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp palm or cane sugar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chili flakes or ground chili (or more to taste)
- 1 small star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅛ tsp five spice powder (optional)
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
Method
- Transfer all the ingredients above to a small saucepan and place it over medium heat.
- As soon as the mixture is hot, turn the heat lower and cover the pan.
- Let the ingredients simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir the sauce and check the seasoning. Add extra sugar, soy sauce or chili to taste if necessary.
- Take the pan off the heat and let the chili oil cool off fully.
- You can store your homemade Din Tai Fung chili oil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Nice! I was just searching for DTF chili oil and found this. I am working on my last jar I brought home from Singapore. I will definitely try your recipe.
As for the wonton vinegar mixture, your 3 to 1 ratio is exactly what my wife and I came up with. I have been using the (Taiwanese) Kong Yen vinegar https://www.kongyen.com/en/product/black-vinegar/sn.37/black-vinegar though as I found it much less bitter and tastes more like the DTF mixture for wontons. I kept trying different (Chinese) Chinkiang black vinegars but it wasn’t right so then thought I should be using Taiwanese vinegar and sure enough it is much closer. I use 3 tsp to 1 tsp ratio and add chopped garlic and 1/8 tsp of sugar which is good for up to 15 wontons. I also microwave the vinegar mixture beforehand to get it hot as to not cool the wontons. The heating also seems to temper and marry all the flavours.
Thanks for the chili oil recipe.