Hot Chile Oil Paste

I first tasted this condiment at the Saturday market in Kalimpong, a town near the Bhutan—Sikkim border, as a red chile paste coating hard-cooked eggs. Each egg was wrapped in a green leaf, a beautiful presentation. The combination of egg and sauce was delicious, for the sauce had a surprising depth of flavor. I had expected just chile heat, but found out when I tasted the egg I’d bought that the chile oil paste was flavored with ginger, scallions, and garlic. We don’t eat many hard-cooked