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Wontons in Sichuan chili oil

Wontons in Sichuan chili oil

Boiled pork dumplings served with a fiery red chili sauce inspired by Din Tai Fung's spicy wonton.
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Dumplings
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Steep 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Sichuan chili oil

  • 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
  • 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 (7 oz) with at least 20% fat
  • 100 grams shrimps (3.5 oz) 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 cornstarch

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
  • 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.
    Frying spices
  • 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.
    Chili flakes
  • When the spices are nicely browned, strain the oil directly into the chili flakes mixture. Stir.
    Sichuan chili 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.

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).
    Filling wonton
  • Dab the edges of the wonton skin with water.
  • Fold in the edges of the wonton skin and press to seal.
    Sealing wontons
  • Repeat until all the filling has been used or until you run of of wonton skins, whichever happens first.
    Boiling wontons in broth
  • 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.

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.
    Wontons in Sichuan chili oil