Recipe: the best Szechuan wontons with chili oil
When we think of Asian comfort food, we dream of a bowl of steaming ramen, dumplings and noodles. But we also fantasize about wontons and fluffy filled buns. So how do you easily make these dishes yourself? In her new book Dumplings & Noodles, Pippa Middlehurst explains the techniques step by step (handy: with accompanying photos) and teaches you, among other things, how to make different types of noodles and wontons like these Szechuan ones.
Pippa: “The success of this dish depends on two things – a good chili oil and a wonton filling full of flavor. The rest happens by itself. Preferably eat these wontons on your own, with a spoon, from a large bowl and with a napkin. These wontons are suitable for freezing, so make a batch on a quiet Sunday afternoon and already look forward to eating them on a boring weekday evening. You can make the sauce in advance and store it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. The ultimate self-care meal prep!”
How to make Szechuan wontons with chili oil
- Place all the ingredients, except the chives and pickled jalapeños, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir the minced meat mixture firmly in one direction until it becomes a sticky, light-colored mass, in about 5 minutes by hand or 2 to 3 minutes with the dough hooks of the stand mixer. The ground pork should absorb all the moisture; add 2 tablespoons of water if it does not come together into a dough and keep stirring. Fold the chives and pickled jalapeños into the meat filling.
- Take the wonton wrappers and a cup of water. Spoon a teaspoon of filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and moisten the edge of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton and place the filled wontons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Mix all the ingredients for the chili sauce. I find it convenient to do this in a blender or with an immersion blender, but you can also use a fork or whisk. Do make sure that the sesame paste (or tahini) is fully incorporated into the sauce (the sauce may become slightly grainy).
- Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add the wontons. The wontons are ready when they float to the surface – this happens after 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the wontons from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Serve them with the chili sauce, sprinkled with spring onion, Szechuan pepper, the toasted sesame seeds and, optionally, chopped cilantro.
Title: Dumplings & Noodles
Author: Pippa Middlehurst
Price: €22,50
Publisher: Good Cook
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