When Garam Masala Meets Chili Crisp

How to honor tradition while embracing what you love now

For years, I found myself caught between two worlds in my kitchen, lovingly preparing the dishes of my childhood in India, then reaching for generic store-bought condiments for my quick weekday meals. Every jar of chili crisp I bought was delicious, sure, but it always felt like I was tasting someone else's story.

When I first started making this chili oil, it wasn't just about creating another condiment. It was about solving a problem I suspect many of us face: how do we honor our cultural identity while embracing the flavors we've grown to love? How do we make our heritage a seamless part of our daily cooking, not just something reserved for special occasions?

The answer, I discovered, lies in understanding flavor profiles rather than just following rigid recipes. Once you grasp the building blocks of taste, you can create something that's uniquely yours.

Watch me make this chili oil step-by-step below.

Building Flavor in Layers

Great chili oil starts with patience and layering. I begin with what I call the foundation, the holy trinity of Indian cuisine: finely chopped ginger, garlic, and onions. These aromatics slowly crisp in oil, creating a base that's unmistakably Indian in character.

The ginger provides warmth and brightness, the garlic adds depth and pungency, and the onions contribute sweetness and body. Together, they create a flavor foundation that store-bought versions simply can't replicate.

The Heart of the Matter: Choosing Your Chilis

The chili selection is where this recipe truly becomes personal. I use three varieties I source from Jaipur, each serving a specific purpose:

• Kashmiri red chili powder: This is your color and smoke specialist—vibrant red with deep, smoky undertones

• A balanced heat blend: Provides that perfect middle ground of warmth and color

• Pure heat: For those who want to intense heat

But here's the key insight: you don't need all three. A single variety of Kashmiri red chili powder will give you incredible depth, gorgeous color, and manageable heat. The beauty is in understanding what each component brings to the table, then adjusting based on your preferences.

The Tadka Twist

While most chili oil recipes stop at the basics, I finish mine with a quick tadka, a technique that's fundamental to Indian cooking. Instead of the expected star anise, I reach for familiar garam masala spices: cinnamon, cardamom, and clove.

This is where the recipe becomes truly yours. Understanding that these spices provide similar warm, aromatic notes to star anise means you can make substitutions that feel authentic to your palate. It's not about rigid adherence to tradition, it's about understanding the why behind each ingredient.

From Condiment to Complete Dish

The real test of any chili oil is its versatility. Mine shines brightest when I use it as the base for my go-to comfort food: peanut butter noodles. The combination of the Indian-spiced oil with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey creates something that's both familiar and surprising.

When you understand flavor profiles, you can create dishes that honor your heritage while embracing your current tastes.

The Recipe

For the Chili Oil:

• 2 tbsp each: finely chopped ginger, garlic, and onions

• 1 cup neutral oil

• 2 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder (or your preferred blend)

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

• 1 tsp sugar

• Whole spices for tadka: cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves

For the Noodle Sauce:

• 3 tbsp of your finished chili oil

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Method:

1. Slowly crisp the aromatics in oil until golden

2. Add your spices for the tadka, then strain and reserve

3. Pour hot oil over chili powder and sesame seeds

4. Add back the crispy bits

5. Use as a base for sauces, or enjoy straight from the jar

The Deeper Lesson

This recipe taught me something important: authenticity isn't about perfect replication, it's about understanding the essence of what makes something special, then making it your own. Every time I make this chili oil, I'm reminded that the best cooking happens when we stop trying to recreate someone else's story and start writing our own.

The jar sitting in my pantry now doesn't just contain chili oil. It contains a bridge between who I was and who I'm becoming, between the flavors that raised me and the ones I choose to embrace today.