Butternut Squash Seed Chili Crisp with Aleppo Pepper
Turn leftover butternut squash seeds into a crunchy chili crisp with Aleppo pepper, fried shallot, garlic, and ginger. Great on soups, eggs, and rice.
Ingredients
- ½ cup neutral oil
- Seeds from 1-2 butternut squash cleaned, thoroughly dried, and toasted (300F 20-30min) (¼ cup seeds. Any large seed can work if not using fresh)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 small shallot thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 inch knob ginger cut into thin slivers
- 2 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Put the Aleppo, red pepper flakes, toasted sesame seeds, and a pinch of the salt in a heatproof bowl. In a small cup, stir the soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar together until the sugar dissolves.
- Roughly chop about half of the toasted squash seeds and leave the rest whole.
- Put the shallot in a small saucepan with the cold oil. Set it over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the shallot is just starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook until it's pale golden and the shallot is deep golden, about 2 more minutes. Pull them a shade lighter than you want, since they keep darkening off the heat.
- Right away, strain everything through a metal sieve into a heatproof measuring cup/bowl. Spread the shallot, garlic, and ginger on a paper towel to crisp.
- Let the oil cool to about 250°F (120°C), then pour it over the chili mixture. It should sizzle gently, not foam hard. Stir.
- Once the oil is warm rather than hot, stir in the soy mixture. Fold in the fried aromatics and the squash seeds.
- Taste and adjust with more salt or soy.
Notes
Storage: Keep it refrigerated in a sealed jar and use within 2 weeks. Stir before serving.