This shiitake chili sauce recipe is an aromatic condiment made with fresh meaty shiitake mushrooms and beautiful red chili peppers that will elevate any dish.
Wash and remove stems from shiitake mushrooms. Place in a food processor and blitz for several seconds at a time until finely chopped. Remove from processor.
Add prepared garlic, chili peppers, and ginger into food processor and blitz for several seconds at a time until finely chopped.
Place Sichuan peppercorn into a mortar and pestle and grind.
Add 2 tablespoon of neutral oil into a deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Fry the garlic, ginger, chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, and star anise over a low fire until aromatic, around 2-3 minutes.
Add in another 2 tablespoon of oil and the chopped mushrooms. Stir-fry until the mushrooms soften and darken. If you feel the pan is getting too dry, you can drizzle a little oil on the side of the pan. Sauté for around 4-6 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin powder, sugar, toasted peanuts, and soy sauce and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Let ingredients cool down and use chopsticks to remove the star anise pieces. Place sauce into a glass container that can be shut air tight.
While chili sauce is cooling, heat up the remaining ¾ cup of neutral oil in the same pan and allow the oil to reach 200 °F. Pour over the mushroom mixture in the jars.
When cool, shut jars tightly and store in the refrigerator.