Liam Hess brings tranquility to the palate with his Sichuan-style recipe.
Wontons are a sort of therapeutic medium for writer and editor Liam Hess. Who knew that wrapping dumplings could offer such a sense of peace? His favorite recipe, adopted from cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop, provides him with a well-deserved calamity in between the hustle-and-bustle. “Wontons are always my comfort meal when getting back from a long trip,” Hess shares with Family Style, “comforting not only due to that silky, mouth-tingling sauce, but also for the mind-soothing pleasure of sitting at the kitchen table and wrapping dumplings for an hour while listening to a podcast.”
Ingredients:
For the wontons (Serves 4)
- 400 grams minced pork
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 stalks spring onion
- 1 Chinese cabbage, shredded
- Thumb-size piece of ginger, very finely chopped
- 1 large pack of frozen wonton wrappers
- 1 egg, beaten
For the sauce
- 6-8 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6-8 tablespoons chili oil, with sediment
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoons sesame oil
- Thumb-size piece of ginger, julienned
Instructions:
- Mix the ginger, pork, egg, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl, a splash of water and a pinch of crushed Sichuan peppercorns to taste.
- Finely chop the spring onion whites, reserving the green tops for the sauce.
- Beat one egg in a small bowl to use as glue.
- Take a wonton wrapper and lay it flat in one hand.
- Pick up a lump of the pork mixture, about tablespoon size, and place into the center of the wrapper, using a YouTube video for guidance if it’s your first time. As you make them, lay them out on a large plate lightly dusted with flour so they don’t stick.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil over a high heat.
- While you’re waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce, mixing the ingredients with the chopped spring onion green tops.
- When the water has come to a boil, drop in the wontons. Stir gently to make sure they don't stick together and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the wontons and drain on a plate with a kitchen towel, then divide between the serving bowls.
- Drizzle the sauce across each portion then top with the julienned ginger.
- Serve immediately and mix them through the sauce before eating.