Sichuan Wontons

Sichuan wontons or chao shou (抄手) are pork dumplings wrapped very thinly and dressed with cilantro, soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil and Sichuan red oil. It's a wonderful blend of flavors and each bite is hot yet refreshing.

Method

Make pork dumplings as in the Dumplings article. Here, the filling uses pork, ginger, scallion, napa cabbage, soy sauce and Sichuan pepper.

Create a dough for the wrapper and roll it very thin with a pasta machine. Cut out squares with a knife and wrap the wontons. Boil them the usual way.

Create a basic red oil by heating up a cup or two of oil an pouring it over a lot chili flakes in a strainer. It will sizzle and the red oil should be fairly red.

When the dumplings are ready, place some into your bowl, then add chopped cilantro, soy sauce, black vinegar, and a little sesame oil. Spoon over some of the red hot oil and enjoy.

Notes

These wontons are a bit different from the more common Cantonese variety, which have a filling of pork and shrimp and served with noodles in a savory soup. There is no spiciness. Sichuan wontons, as one might expect, are served with red oil and very hot (and even painful in an addictive way).

These use of vinegar adds sourness, so this dish is also called Hot and Sour wontons (酸辣抄手). It doesn't counteract the spiciness of the chili, but it definitely makes every mouthful even more appetizing.