Red Oil Wonton 紅油抄手

This 小吃 (small eats) dish, originally a Sichuan specialty, has become increasingly popular in many Chinese eateries all over the world, especially those specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine and dumplings. Sichuan cuisine is well-known for (though not limited to) its bold flavors - hot, spicy, numbing, pungent - from the liberal use of chilli peppers, sichuan pepper, garlic, spices, etc. In 2011, Chengdu in Sichuan had the honor of being declared a city of gastronomy by UNESCO, recognizing the uniqueness and sophistication of its cooking.

Loving Sichuan food is very easy for me, as hot and spicy food is very close to my heart. Some of my favorite Sichuan dishes include mapo tofu, Sichuan hotpot, spicy water-cooked fish/beef as well as today's red oil wonton. This dish combines all five taste types: salty, sweet, spicy, sour and umami....resulting in a wonderfully full-bodied and satisfying outcome. I know of many people who have become addicted to red oil wonton after trying it.

Thankfully it is a dish which can be quite easily created at home. There are a few different ways you can wrap the wontons - the characters 抄手 in the Chinese name of this dish means folding your arms - so I am showing you the "criss-cross" way to wrap them. Once the wontons are ready, boil them and add to a pre-mixed sauce with various seasonings and spices. This can be served as a meal for lunch or a side dish for dinner.

RECIPE FOR RED OIL WONTON

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Ingredients

Red Oil
3 tbsp dried chilli pepper flakes
1 tbsp sichuan peppercorn
1/2 cup cooking oil

Wonton Filling

200g (7 oz) ground pork

3/4 cup (3-4 stalks) scallion, finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp sesame oil
few dashes of pepper
1 packet square wonton wrapper

Wonton Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp black vinegar (I use Chinkiang)
3 tbsp red oil (see above for preparation)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced 
2-3 stalks scallion, finely chopped

Steps:

Red oil (can be prepared one day in advance)
Heat up 1/2 cup cooking oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add sichuan peppercorn when oil starts to get hot (test by throwing a peppercorn into oil and it should bubble slightly). Cook sichuan peppercorn for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat then add the dried chilli pepper flakes. Set the red oil aside - for at least 2 hours or overnight is best.

Wonton Filling
Combine the wonton fillings - ground pork, scallion, soy sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, pepper - in a bowl and mix well. Wrap by placing a small amount of filling on each wrapper and fold using the method per pictures. Dab on some water to seal the edges and overlapping areas.

Wonton Sauce
Once the wontons are wrapped, prepare the wonton sauce. In a bowl - add soy sauce, black vinegar, red oil, sugar, sesame oil and minced garlic - stir well till sugar dissolves.

Cooking
In a large pot, add a generous amount of water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil and add wontons - you can boil them in batches. Stir the wontons once water boils to prevent sticking. When wontons float to the surface, boil for another 20-30 seconds. Remove wontons with a slotted spoon/strainer and quickly toss to drain the water well.

Serving
Immediately add the wontons to the wonton sauce and mix well, to prevent wontons from sticking. You can also divide the sauce/wontons into smaller bowls and serve individual portions. Sprinkle some chopped scallions before serving.