La-yu, also written rāyu, is the fragrant chilli oil at the heart of Japanese and Chinese cooking, and this one comes from S&B, Japan’s foremost spice house. This la-yu sesame chilli oil is built on a base of roasted sesame oil infused with chilli pepper extract, which gives it both a pungent heat and a deep, savoury, nutty aroma, and a brilliant clear red colour that signals the fire within.

What sets this apart from a plain chilli oil is texture as well as strength. It often carries coarse chilli flakes suspended in the oil, so alongside the clean heat there is a pleasing crunch and a more layered, rustic character. It is genuinely spicy, with the roasted sesame keeping the flavour rounded and fragrant rather than harsh, the balance that makes la-yu so addictive.

A few drops go a long way. It is the classic finishing drizzle over a bowl of ramen, the essential spike of heat in a gyoza dipping sauce mixed with soy and vinegar, and a fiery lift for mapo tofu, dumplings, noodles, fried rice and stir fries. Used as a condiment at the table or a seasoning in the pan, it brings instant heat and aroma wherever it is wanted.

Why choose Sea House La-Yu Sesame Chilli Oil?

• From a leading spice house. Made by S&B, Japan’s foremost name in spices and seasonings.
• Pungent and aromatic. Chilli heat balanced by the deep, nutty fragrance of roasted sesame oil.
• Texture as well as fire. Coarse chilli flakes give a crunchier, more characterful oil.
• A finishing essential. The classic drizzle for ramen, gyoza dipping sauce and mapo tofu.
• A little goes far. Intense flavour from a generous 979ml bottle.