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Szechuan wontons in chilli oil

Pork and prawn wontons under a spoonful of numbing chilli oil, garlic and black vinegar.

These are the wontons we fold in the hot pot class, served the Szechuan way rather than in soup. The wontons themselves are mild, so all of the character comes from the sauce you spoon over them at the end. Fold a big batch and freeze what you do not cook, straight from frozen into boiling water whenever you want them.

Method

  1. Mix the pork, prawns, spring onions, soy, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ginger and white pepper in a bowl. Stir in one direction for a minute or two until the filling turns tacky and holds together, which is what stops it crumbling once cooked.
  2. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Wet two edges, fold into a triangle and press out the air as you seal. Bring the two long corners together and pinch. Keep the finished wontons under a tea towel so they do not dry out.
  3. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and taste it. It should be sharp, sweet and numbing all at once, so adjust the vinegar and sugar until it is.
  4. Boil a large pan of water. Cook the wontons in batches for three to four minutes, until they float and the wrappers turn translucent. Do not crowd the pan.
  5. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, letting them drain properly, then pile into warm bowls. Spoon the dressing over and scatter with extra sesame seeds and spring onion.