Pork and Prawn Wontons in Homemade Sichuan Chilli Oil

WONTON FILLING

• 200 g prawns (fresh or defrosted)

• 100 g minced pork (optional, or all prawn/pork)

• 2 egg whites

• 1 spring onion

• 1 tsp ginger, finely minced

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

• 100ml stock (see below)

WONTON PASTRIES

• 100g plain flour
• 2 egg yolk
• 40 - 50 ml water

STOCK

• 200 ml hot boiling water

• 1 spring onion, finely chopped

• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

• 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional)

THE SAUCE

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 3 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 2 tbsp white sugar

• A handful of coriander

• 3 tbsp chilli oil

• 2 spring onions (finely chopped)

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

CHILLI OIL

• 200ml vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil

• 4 garlic cloves

• 4 spring onions

• 4 -5 dried red chillies

• 1 large knob of ginger

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp green Sichuan peppercorns

• 2 tbsp red Sichuan peppercorns

• 4 tbsp crushed chilli flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• A pinch of sugar

CHILLI OIL

• With the side of a cleaver or a large knife, bash the garlic cloves to peel them and bruise them slightly. Peel and slice the ginger. Cut the green part of the spring onions and set aside.

• In a large work, add the garlic cloves, ginger, garlic, dried chillies and top them with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to a medium heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes.

• Using a pestle and mortar, mix the green and red Sichuan peppercorns with the red chilli flakes, crush them until they almost reach a powdery consistency.

• Using a heat proof bowl, add the Sichuan peppercorns and chilli mix, the salt, sesame seeds and sugar. Carefully pour in the hot oil and let it cool down.

THE WONTONS

FILLING AND SAUCE

• Combine all the stock ingredients in a mixing bowl, fill the bowl with boiling water and let it soak for 10 - 15 minutes. Strain the “stock” and set aside.

• Finely chop the garlic, the whites of the spring onion, and place in a mixing bowl. Finely dice the prawns and add to the mixing bowl along with pork mince the soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and sesame oil, lastly add the stock and mix everything together.

• Mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

WONTON PASTRIES

• Mix the plain flour with the two egg yolks, salt and water. Combine all the ingredients together until you have a rough dough ball.

• Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Transfer the dough to a bowl cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

• After the dough has rested, roll it out using a rolling pin until it is 1 - 2 mm thick. Make sure you use plenty of flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin or the work surface. Cut the dough into 8cm squares. Cover them with a tea towel until you are ready to make the wontons.

FOLDING THE WONTONS

• Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre of each pastry. Fold the bottom corner over the filling to the top corner and press the pastry down to seal all sides (to form a triangle).

• Holding the base of the filing with your thumbs, pull the 2 corners of the triangle towards each other, . Overlap the ends and press together to form a ‘gold ingot / trough’ shape.

• Set aside and fold the rest of the wontons the same way

COOKING THE WONTONS

• Fill a wok or a pot half way through with water and bring to a vigorous boil. Boil the wontons for 4 - 5 minutes. Once they are ready take them out of the water making sure to drain them.

• Serve the wontons in a bowl with the wonton sauce, top with spring onions, fresh chillies and fried shallots.