Deep-Fried Skewer Sauce

Ingredients

• 60 g dried chilli powder (coarse and fine)
• 20 g cumin powder
• 10 g white pepper powder
• 15 g five-spice powder
• 20 g salt
• 15 g Sichuan pepper powder
• 8 g chicken stock powder
• 5 g thirteen-spice powder
• 5 g málà fresh seasoning
• 30 g white sesame seeds
• neutral oil
• 10 ml sesame oil
• 10 ml soy sauce
• 10 ml Sichuan pepper oil
• 10 ml oyster sauce

Method

Toast the dry spices in a wok over medium heat for two to three minutes, stirring constantly. You're after fragrance here — cumin and Sichuan pepper will perfume the air first, chilli powder last. When the málà seasoning turns translucent and the sesame seeds begin to pop, tip everything into a heatproof bowl. The heat sets the volatile compounds in the spices; what follows is hot-oil-finish, which blooms them further and binds them into a usable condiment.

Measure out 150–200 ml of neutral oil (the exact volume depends on your spice volume, but you want enough to cover the dry mix by a centimetre) and heat it to 180°C in a clean wok. At this temperature the oil will shimmer and a sesame seed dropped in will sizzle immediately. The heat is critical — too cool and you'll soften the powders into paste; too hot and you'll char them into bitterness. Pour one-third of the oil into the spice bowl in a thin stream, stirring hard. The oil will hiss and bubble as water in the spices flashes to steam. This agitation carries the fat-soluble compounds from the spices into the oil whilst the heat breaks down cell walls, releasing flavour compounds trapped in the powder's matrix. Wait thirty seconds, add the second third, stir again. Wait another thirty seconds, add the final third. This staged approach prevents the bottom layer from burning whilst you're still pouring.

Once the oil has cooled to lukewarm — roughly 50°C, when you can hold your finger in it for five seconds — add the sesame oil, soy sauce, Sichuan pepper oil, and oyster sauce. Sesame oil burns at a lower temperature than most neutral oils, so waiting prevents you from destroying its nutty character. The umami compounds in soy and oyster sauce also need gentler handling; high heat would volatilise them away. Stir until the mixture is glossy and even. The result should be a thick, spiced paste, deeper brown than khaki, with an oily sheen. It will thicken slightly as it cools to room temperature. Store in a sealed jar — it keeps for two weeks at room temperature or six weeks refrigerated. Serve as a dipping sauce for skewers, or thin with water to make a braising liquid.