Tsuji Seiyu Spicy Ra-Yu Pepper Sauce

Ra-yu is Japan's chilli oil, and this is a notably complex one. Chilli and sweet pepper give it heat and body, garlic and white sesame bring savoury depth, a thread of cinnamon adds warmth, and the zest of shikuwasa — a sharp Okinawan citrus — lifts the whole thing, all carried on soy. The result is full-bodied and rounded: as much tangy and aromatic as it is hot, a chilli oil that behaves like a sauce. Drizzle it over freshly cooked gyoza, pour it across a bowl of somen noodles (link) for a quick, delicious plate, or set it out as a dip for tempura vegetables. It's equally at home finishing ramen, dressing chilled tofu or blanched greens, lifting a stir-fry, or spooned over rice and eggs — anywhere you want rich, spicy, tangy depth. A little goes a long way. Store in a cool, dark place. Producer: Tsuji Seiyu, in Matsusaka in Mie Prefecture, is one of Japan's leading edible-oil makers, pressing corn and rapeseed oils for some eighty years. It puts that pressing and flavour-oil expertise into developing products built around natural ingredients, working to its own independent brief rather than copying what already exists. Ingredients: Soy, chilli pepper, sweet pepper, garlic, white sesame, cinnamon, shikuwasa citrus zest. Net: 200g