Oil Paste

Ingredients

• flour
• oil
• salt

Method

The hot-oil-finish is the control here. You're tempering flour with salt in a bowl, then pouring heated oil over it — the heat partially cooks the flour while the oil carries it into suspension, creating a smooth emulsion rather than a stodgy paste. This is the base move in many chinese-cuisine condiments and finishing pastes.

Measure your flour and salt into a small heatproof bowl — roughly 100g flour to 5g salt, though the ratio can shift depending on whether you're using this as a dip or a finishing oil. Whisk them together dry. The salt dissolves into the oil faster if it's already distributed through the flour.

Heat your oil to 200°C. You need it genuinely hot — at this temperature the flour begins to gelatinise, its starch granules swelling and hydrating, which is what prevents grittiness and gives you the smooth texture. If the oil is tepid, the starch won't swell properly and you'll end up with a grainy, separated mess. Use a thermometer; guesswork here fails.

Pour the oil slowly into the flour mixture whilst stirring continuously with chopsticks or a fork. The initial contact will be violent and the mixture will seize slightly — this is normal. Keep working it. The starch granules are absorbing the oil and water from the flour's own moisture, and the vigorous mixing breaks down lumps before they set. Stir for about two minutes until the mixture is homogeneous and glossy, with no visible flour streaks or lumps. The paste should fall from a spoon in one piece, not run like oil or clot like wet sand.

If you're using this as a condiment, let it cool to room temperature, then store it in a sealed jar where it will keep for two weeks. The oil solidifies slightly as it cools, binding the paste together. For immediate use as a hot finishing oil, serve it warm — spoon it over finished dishes where its fragrance and texture matter. Don't reheat it beyond 160°C or the aromatics will flatten and the emulsion may break.