Dried chillies

Whole red chillies dried in the sun. Ground at home they become chilli flakes, and the bags of ready-crushed flakes at Chinese grocers and supermarkets are the same thing. XO sauce and a home chilli oil both depend on them, for fragrance more than heat. Open a window when you grind them, and do not lift the lid and breathe in.

Preparation

Snip open and shake out the seeds if you want less heat, then grind coarse.

Availability in Australia

Easy to find

Pairs well with