Name: Wontons in Sichuan Chili Oil
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 250 min
Ingredients: 3 slices ginger; 1 red onion (halved); 2 bay leaves; 2 star anise; ½ teaspoon cumin; 3 to 4 cloves garlic (lightly pounded); 1 ¼ cups cooking oil; 2 tablespoons dried chili flakes; 1 teaspoon five-spice powder; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds; 200 grams ground pork (with at least 20% fat); 100 grams shrimps (peeled, deveined and finely minced); 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions; ¼ cup finely chopped carrot; ½ teaspoon grated garlic; ½ teaspoon grated ginger; 2 shiitake ((caps only), finely chopped); ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground pepper; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil; ½ teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon corn starch; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil; 2 tablespoons rice wine; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; ½ teaspoon grated garlic

Wontons in Sichuan Chili Oil

Connie Veneracion

Missing dining in Hong Kong terribly, we made a home version of Din Tai Fung's spicy wontons. This recipe includes how to make the Sichuan chili oil and the wontons.

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Steeping time 3 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Course Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings people

Ingredients

Sichuan chili oil

3 slices ginger
1 red onion halved
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
½ teaspoon cumin
3 to 4 cloves garlic lightly pounded
1 ¼ cups cooking oil
2 tablespoons dried chili flakes
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Pork and shrimp wonton filling

200 grams ground pork with at least 20% fat
100 grams shrimps peeled, deveined and finely minced
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
¼ cup finely chopped carrot
½ teaspoon grated garlic
½ teaspoon grated ginger
2 shiitake (caps only), finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Chili oil sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon grated garlic
½ teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar

To make and cook the wontons

1 pack wonton skins round or square (see notes after the recipe)
4 to 6 cups bone broth

Instructions

Make the Sichuan chili oil

Arrange the ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cumin and garlic on the bottom of a thick frying pan so that they are in a single layer.
Pour in the cooking oil.
Over very low heat, cook the spices until softened and lightly browned. Be extra careful not to burn them.
While the spices cook, whisk together the chili flakes, five-spice powder and sesame seeds in large HEAT-PROOF bowl.
When the spices are nicely browned, strain the oil directly into the chili flakes mixture. Stir.
Discard the browned spices because all their flavors are already in the oil.
Cover the Sichuan chili oil loosely and leave to steep for at least three hours.

Mix the wonton filling

In a bowl, mix together the ground pork, shrimps, carrot, scallions, shiitake, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
In another bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, sesame seed oil, sugar and cornstarch to make a thin paste.
Pour the starch mixture over the ground pork mixture. Mix well.
Cover the bowl and allow to marinate in the fridge while the chili oil cools.

Make the chili oil sauce

In a large glass measuring cup, mix together all the ingredients for the chili oil sauce until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Note how much sauce you have and pour in an equal amount of chili oil. Whisk (see notes after the recipe).

Make and cook the wontons

Separate the wonton skins.
Place a wonton skin on your palm and place a teaspoonful of filling at the center (less if your wonton skin is small).
Dab the edges of the wonton skin with water.
Fold in the edges of the wonton skin and press to seal.
Repeat until all the filling has been used or until you run of of wonton skins, whichever happens first.
Heat the bone broth in a pan and bring to simmering.
Drop in the wontons in batches and cook for five to 10 minutes, depending on their size (see notes after the recipe).

Serve the wontons

Arrange wontons on a plate or shallow bowl.
Drizzle chili oil sauce generously over them.
Sprinkle with finely sliced scallions, optionally, before serving.

Notes

How many wontons you will be able to make depends on the size of the skin. Whether you use small or large skins, remember not to overstuff them because the wontons require a short cooking time. If you overcook the wontons for too long in the broth, the skins will turn soggy. The edges will look frayed and, worse, the skin might burst and expose the filling.

After you’ve made your chili oil sauce, the red oil will float on top of the soy sauce mixture. Don’t worry about that. Just remember to stir the sauce every time you scoop some to drizzle over the wontons.

To simplify cooking the wontons, I suggest that you use a kitchen spider. Spread a batch of wontons in the spider, lower the spider into the simmering broth, lift when the wontons are done and move them to a plate. Repeat for the next and subsequent batches.

Dear Hong Kong, I miss you and I hope to visit again soon.

Keyword dumplings, Spicy

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