Sichuan Wontons

The MBA program hosted an "International Cultural Explosion" event, where people set up tables to represent their countries with food, dance, costumes, etc. I am not exactly the one to speak to about Chinese traditions and cultures, but I volunteered to cook some Chinese food for support. However, after I volunteered, I went into a panic attack because I realized... I don't know how to cook traditional Chinese food! The Chinese food that I have been trying to cook are classified as "American take-out" Chinese food, or "Asian-fusion." I had to spend a lot of time on searching for traditional Chinese food recipes that 1) I know where to buy the ingredients, 2) I understand what the ingredients are, 3) I know what the cooking techniques are. It wasn't easy!!! Finally, I came across one recipe that I am vaguely familiar with because of wonderful childhood memories of watching my grandmother and my mother wrap wontons. However, because I had to transport the food from home to school, I did not want to make wonton soup - Therefore, I decided to make Sichuan Wontons, which would cause less of a mess.

Wrapping wontons is definitely a lot of fun (although time-consuming). 

I think they look so cute once they are all lined up neatly, waiting to be cooked! 

I could not find Sichuan peppers in the Chinese store - Maybe it was my lack of Chinese reading that caused my inability to locate the ingredient - So after staring at the sauces for 15 minutes, I bought the ready-made Sichuan sauce (so ashamed). Timing-wise, it turned out well because I totally did not have the time to mix the sauce before running off the school. I am happy and satisfied in the end that after 28 years of being Chinese, I finally made my own wontons!

Serving Size:

Serves 4 to 6 as appetizers

Ingredients:

½ pound ground pork
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 egg, beaten
½ package wonton skins

Sauce:1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or good-quality balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, sesame oil, salt, and pepper and mix until everything is well-incorporated. The filling should be sticky and slightly wet.
2. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. This egg wash will be used for sealing the wonton wrappers.
3. Angle a wonton wrapper so that it faces you like a diamond. With a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of egg wash along the top two edges of the wrapper. (Keep the extra wrappers covered with a barely damp towel until ready to use, to prevent them from drying out.) Place one heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.
a. One easy way to wrap is to form a triangle by folding the bottom tip to the top tip and pinching out as much air as possible. Add a dab of egg wash to the inside of the left tip, fold it over the right tip to overlap (as shown in the picture above) and press together.
b. For the "boat" version, start by folding the wrapper in half to form a rectangle. Add a dab of egg wash to the bottom edge of the left side and and fold it over the bottom edge of the ridge side, so that one overlaps the other. The end result should resemble a boat, with two tips cradling a puff of filling in the middle.
4. Place the finished wonton on a plate. Keep the finished wontons covered with a barely damp towel while you repeat the process with the remaining wontons.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic, soy sauce, sugar, chili oil, black vinegar, and Sichuan pepper. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved and set aside.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put in the wontons and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the wontons float to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle the chili sauce over the wontons and sprinkle the sliced scallions on top.