Oh! Word, that makes sense.
For spices (if you’re not going to use them often): I’d check the spice aisle at Super A or whatever PNW equivalent of a Hispanic supermarket for the lil spice sacks. I think the brand is El Guapo? They should have little guys of Arbol chile, star anise, and maybe fennel seed? I think I’ve checked those stores before for it and they didn’t have any. However, I would grab a pack if you see one. imo it’s worth it to get bigger dudes of Szechuan pepper and cumin. Both are so delicious, so you’ll probably use them often.
Okay, so it’s definitely not that sauce, but I think the following might be p tasty:
I’m guessing amounts here, but I’d say equal parts fennel (if you found some; if not- dont worry about it and double up on cumin) and cumin seed, 1:3-ish of Szechuan pepper, and 1 star anise to all that. So, maybe 1 TB of fennel/cumin and 1 tsp of s. pepper to 3 cups of a neutral oil. Could add more Szechuan if you’re feeling spicy! Toast then grind the spices. Steeping the spices makes sense to save time, so I’d heat some oil and pour it over when the oil is just shimmering. Let that sit for a day, then strain out the spices. Use that oil to make a chile base with the arbols (probably 1/2-3/4 cup dry) and some fresh ginger (1-2" knob, finely minced or robot’d). I recommend the method they use of rehydrating the chiles then robot’ing them (or finely chopping). Stir fry the chiles and ginger in that spiced oil until aromatic. Don’t let the oil get so hot that it smokes, keep it med-low. Let cool, then fold the spices in and voila- maybe a tasty sauce!
Side notes:
arbols are usually p spicy, so maybe mix in some guajillos (also sold in small packs) if you have a sensitive tum!
I think the point is to have a thick, pasty sauce, so adjust the oil accordingly. I’d say you want to see maybe half an inch of oil on top of the chile/ginger mix.
Personally, texture in food is very important so frying some soybeans or canned chickpeas would be a cool move but it’s super extra. A package of fried shallots from your local SE asian market would also work and they’re great to have around for salads, eggs, whatever.
If you end up being able to parse this sloppy recipe and try it out, lmk how it goes!
Edit- d’oh, too late! Looks fuckin good tho
