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Lanternhouse Chilli Oil
Original·Extra Hot·Garlic Crisp·200ml glass jars, $16·Gift pack of all three, $42·Footscray night market, once a month·Keep it in the cupboard, not the fridge·Eggs, noodles, avocado toast, pizza, roast potatoes, vanilla ice cream (try it)·
Lanternhouse chilli oilFootscray

First batch: 120 jars. Don't love it? I'll swap it for another flavour.

glass jars or not at all · glass jars · glass only

Mine is mostly crunch.

Garlic and shallot fried separately and slowly, so they stay crisp for months. Star anise and Sichuan pepper so it tastes like something, not just burns. $16 a jar, made in Footscray.

What's in it, and what isn'tmy notes

  • Rice bran oilIt stays clean tasting.
  • Garlic, fried on its ownSlowly, so it stays crisp for months.
  • Shallot, fried on its ownThe bit people actually eat with a spoon.
  • Lantern chilliExtra Hot is hot, but still meant to taste good.
  • Star anise, Sichuan pepperSo it tastes like something, not just burns.
  • SugarNo sugar to stretch it. Some brands are like a third sugar.
  • MSGNone. I tell you exactly what's in it.
  • PreservativesNone. The glass jar does the protecting.
  • Blended vegetable oilNot the cheap stuff.
Stir it before you scoop because the crunch sinks.
Where it comes from

A recipe that used to just feed a church hall

It's my grandmother's recipe really, she made it in a big pot every few months and gave jars to everyone at church. I've been making it for friends for years and everyone kept saying you should sell this, so I finally did a proper first batch, 120 jars, in a commercial kitchen I hire on Sunday nights.

My grandmother turned 90 last year and said she wanted to see it in a shop before she goes, half joking. I'm a nurse, I'm not trying to quit tomorrow, I just want to see if it can be a real thing.

I just stopped her eyeballing everything and wrote it down in grams.

What I won't do

Three things I'm not moving on

01

Glass jars or not at all.

02

I won't make it hotter just to be a challenge thing, it's still meant to taste good.

03

No preservatives, no MSG, I tell people exactly what's in it.

The jars

200ml, $16, three ways

Mostly people buy one for themselves and then come back for the gift pack for someone's birthday.

A jar of Original with a spoon lifting out the crunch
Original

Start here if you're new to it. Garlic and shallot, fried separately and slowly, star anise and Sichuan pepper underneath.

$16 / 200ml jar
Add to order
A jar of Extra Hot beside dried lantern chillies
Extra Hot

More lantern chilli. Hot, but it's still meant to taste good, not just burn.

$16 / 200ml jar
Add to order
A jar of Garlic Crisp, golden with fried garlic
Garlic Crisp

Barely spicy. For people who can't handle heat but still want the crunch.

$16 / 200ml jar
Add to order
All three jars in a gift box
Gift pack, all three flavours

For a birthday, or anyone who can't decide.

Add the gift pack, $42

New online, so start with the Original. If you don't love it, I'll swap it for another flavour.

Start with an Original, $16
It's for everything

Not just for Chinese food

Fried eggs on toast with chilli oil spooned over
Eggs on toast, the usual.
A bowl of noodles with a spoonful of chilli oil
Plain noodles, one big spoon.
Filling jars in a hired commercial kitchen at night
Made on Sunday nights, in glass.
In person

Footscray, once a month

At the market I just hand people a spoon with a bit on a cracker. That's it, nearly everyone buys after that. If someone's worried about heat I give them the Garlic Crisp first.

Footscray Night Market

The first Friday of the month, 5pm till late. Come and have a spoon.

The Lanternhouse stall at the night market, jars and crackers on a trestle table
Crackers and spoons on the table. Nearly everyone buys after one.
What people ask

The bits I find myself correcting

Does it need to go in the fridge?
No. The fridge makes the oil go cloudy. Keep it in the cupboard, and stir it before you scoop because the crunch sinks.
Is it just for Chinese food?
No, it's for everything. Eggs, avocado toast, pizza, roast potatoes. Some people put it on noodles, some put it on vanilla ice cream, which sounds strange but try it.
Is it your own recipe?
It's my grandmother's. I just stopped her eyeballing everything and wrote it down in grams.
What if I can't handle heat?
Start with Garlic Crisp, it's barely spicy. Original is the middle ground. Extra Hot has more lantern chilli, but it's still meant to taste good.
Get in touch

Stock it, or ask me anything

Run a deli or a café and want it on your shelf? Not sure which flavour suits someone? Tell me here.

A few delis, and jars all over Australia

My grandmother wanted to see it in a shop before she goes. This is the first one.

Buy a jar, $16