Hong You Chao Shou (Chengdu Red Oil Wontons)

Ingredients

• 40 thin square wonton wrappers
• 350g minced pork, with some fat
• 30g ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 5 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil, with sediment
• 3 tbsp sweet aromatic soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced

Before you cook

• Steep the chopped ginger in 100ml of cold water for 15 minutes, then squeeze and strain it, keeping the liquid.
• Beat the pork with the salt, sugar, white pepper and Shaoxing wine, then add the ginger water a spoonful at a time, stirring in one direction until the meat absorbs it all.
• Beat in the egg and sesame oil, then chill the filling for 20 minutes.
• Pound the garlic to a paste and stir in 3 tablespoons of cold water.

Steps

1. Lay a wrapper on your palm and put a heaped teaspoon of filling just off centre.
2. Fold the wrapper over into a triangle and press the edge to seal, leaving a loose flap of skin.
3. Bring the two long corners together in front and pinch them firmly, so the wonton looks like folded arms.
4. Repeat with the rest, keeping the finished wontons under a cloth.
5. Whisk the garlic water, both soy sauces and the ground roasted Sichuan pepper together.
6. Stir in the chilli oil, scooping up the sediment, and divide the sauce between four bowls.
7. Bring a wide pan of water to a rolling boil.
8. Slide in half the wontons and stir once so they do not settle on the bottom.
9. Boil them for 3 minutes, until they float and the skins turn translucent at the edges.
10. Add a cup of cold water and let the pan return to the boil, which cooks the filling through without bursting the skins.
11. Lift the wontons out with a slotted spoon, draining them well.
12. Drop them into two of the sauced bowls and roll them gently to coat.
13. Cook the second batch in the same way and fill the other two bowls.
14. Scatter the spring onions over and serve, spooning the red oil back over the top.