Spicy Sichuan Chili Oil Pork Wontons (Vivian's Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu 红油抄手)

This is the very best (and only) Sichuan wonton recipe you will ever need (unless you're looking for the delicious wonton soup version). Vivian's wontons were one of the first dishes I fell in love with while living in Chengdu. Tender, ginger-infused pork-filled meat parcels wrapped in homemade silky egg wonton wrappers, swimming in a deliciously viscous sweet, spicy, hot and sour, umami, crunchy, mala chili oil sauce, all topped off with crispy fried pork and scallions.

If you use store-bought wrappers, they're ready in just 30 minutes. 

I can't tell you how many of these wontons I've eaten but after four years in Chengdu (and Vivian'ssuper generous hospitality of giving me a steady supply of to-go bags full of frozen wontons), I know it's too many to ever count.

We also made these wontons fresh each week and served them at our business as snacks or meals before and after classes and we almost always ran out because locals and laowai (non-Chinese foreigners) alike, loved them.

(Below) Vivian's Sichuan Wontons 

Why You'll Love This Sichuan Wonton Recipe

• It's an authentic Sichuan chaoshu recipe shared by my friend (and Chengdu local), Vivian Yan
• They're ready in 30 minutes when you use store-bought wonton wrappers
• The pork and ginger filling uses just 5 ingredients (not including salt and water)
• Ready in 4 simple steps: mix the pork filling, fill the wrappers, boil, mix with sauce
• Uses a homemade Sichuan chili oil sauce (taught to me by Sichuanese Chef Liu)
• Meal-prep and freezer-friendly for quick 15-minute weeknight meals
• Tastes just like the wontons you find in Chengdu noodle shops, Vivian's home, and throughout the Sichuan province
• Versatile! They can be used for spicy wontons in chili oil (with or without pork) or boiled in chicken broth to make Sichuan wonton soup

What are Chaoshou Sichuan Wontons (Red Chili Oil Wontons)?

Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu (红油抄手), or chaoshou, is a typical Sichuan snack food or street food and is made up of 3 components: store-bought or homemade square wonton wrappers, ginger-infused pork filling, and Spicy Sichuan wonton sauce.

Wonton wrappers are filled, folded up like silver "ingots", boiled, and then served on top of a bed of a very addictive mala (麻辣 "numbing spicy"), sweet, sour, crunchy Sichuan chili oil sauce and topped with crispy fried pork, finely sliced scallions, and fresh red chili pepper for garnish.

Adding crispy fried pork is how Vivian taught me to enjoy these wontons the most, but of course, it's optional and the wontons are delicious without it.

Sichuan wonton sauce is made using: Chinese black vinegar, a little raw sugar (for crunch), Chinese sesame paste (and/or peanut butter), light soy sauce, mushroom soy sauce, sesame oil, green Sichuan flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil), homemade Sichuan chili oil (xiangla hongyou), and white pepper. 

(Above middle photo) The wonton sauce mixture (before adding the Sichuan chili oil) becomes super creamy once the hot wontons are added and everything is stirred together.

A quick note about Chinese sesame paste versus Tahini. If you make hummus, you're probably already familiar with tahini which is a paste made from hulled raw sesame seeds that have been ground. Whereas Chinese sesame paste is made using toasted hulled ground sesame seeds which gives it a particularly nutty roasted flavor and makes the paste darker too.

If you don't have Chinese sesame paste for this recipe, peanut butter is a good substitute, or a combination of tahini and peanut butter. And while using only tahini will work in a pinch, it doesn't yield the same roasted flavor in the final wonton sauce.

Sichuan wonton soup is another popular Sichuan recipe called Long Chao Shou (or Dragon Wonton) where the wontons are cooked in broth - equally delicious, but a completely different dish.

6 Traditional Sichuan Tips & Techniques for Making the Best Chili Oil Wontons

Here are the most important tips for making authentic Sichuan spicy wontons that I learned from the locals. It's not rocket science and none of these tips are difficult. But truly great (not just "good" or "ok" wontons) depends on whether or not you use these 6 tips.

• Grind and mince the pork yourself. Instead of buying pre-ground pork, freshly grinding it and/or mincing it yourself creates a far superior filling. And it really only takes just a few minutes to mince a piece of pork collar or shoulder using two sharp knives or a cleaver.
• Make Ginger-water (or ginger-scallion water). Ginger and also sometimes scallions are sliced, smashed, and added to cool tap water to infuse the water. Infusing the pork with ginger water (or ginger-scallion water) is a local Sichuanese trick for getting all the delicious ginger and scallion flavor into these notoriously tender wonton fillings without ever having to bite down on an actual piece of ginger or scallion. Once I was taught this trick, I never looked back. I use this technique in all of my dumpling recipes. It's brilliant and in some ways akin to how Italians often use smashed whole garlic cloves to flavor sauces and ragùs, but then remove the cloves before serving the final pasta.
• Stir the pork filling in one direction only. Whipping the pork mixture vigorously and quickly in one direction for a solid 10 to 12 minutes breaks down the proteins and muscle fibers and transforms the pork mixture into a bouncy, pasty, tender filling (or shàng jìn).
• Never add the ginger-water (or ginger-scallion water) all at once. The purpose of adding infused aromatic water (besides adding extra flavor) and whipping it in (as if your life depends on it), is to hydrate the pork and make it tender and juicy after being cooked. This should be done in at least 3 stages so the meat better absorbs the water and plumps up. If you add the infused water all at once, the meat will not absorb it properly and will expel the liquid (the exact opposite of what you want), which will be a watery mess.
• Allow the wonton filling to marinate and chill for at least 30 minutes before filling the dumplings. Resting the pork mixture for a bit before filling the wontons allows the flavors to meld together. Simply cover and refrigerate it which also helps firm up the filling making the wontons a little easier to fill. Give everything a good stir before filling.
• Make your own homemade Sichuan chili sauce (Xiangla Hongyou 香辣红油). This chili sauce is super easy to make and it's worth it because the roasted toasty fragrant oil is crunchy and delicious (and can be eaten on just about anything). If you don't want to make your own, just buy the best Chinese brand available.

What Makes Wontons Different From Regular Dumplings (jiaozi)?

In China there are many different types of dumplings and wontons both of which are meat or vegetable-filled parcels that are steamed, fried, or boiled.

• Wontons go by many regional names (in Sichuan they're called "chaoshu") and have a distinctive square shape.
• The wrappers themselves tend to be thinner and slippery as compared to dumpling wrappers which are a little thicker and tend to be chewier (see above examples).
• Since wonton wrappers are thinner, they're not meant to hold as much filling as dumplings. Learn more about dumplings versus wontons, in my homemade wonton wrapper post.

Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons Ingredients (Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu 红油抄手) 

In order to make these Sichuan wontons taste like what you'll find at noodle shops across the Sichuan province, you'll need to source the right ingredients. Thankfully nowadays this isn't difficult especially if you live in a city with a well-stocked Asian grocery store, or robust Chinatown (like NYC, SF, or LA) or you can always order the ingredients online.

NOTE: I've also used Chinese sesame paste in the wonton sauce but didn't include it in the photo directly above. However, you can see it in the wonton sauce photos up further above in the post. 

Wonton Filling Ingredients

• wonton wrappers (homemade or store-bought) 
• fatty pork collar or pork shoulder (sub fatty 70/30 pre-ground pork) 
• fresh ginger
• scallion (optional)
• cool water
• egg
• light soy sauce
• fine sea salt
• white pepper

Wonton Sauce Ingredients

• light soy sauce
• Zhenjiang Chinese black vinegar
• peanut butter (sub Chinese sesame paste or tahini) 
• Chinese sesame paste (sub tahini) 
• homemade Sichuan chili sauce oil
• coarse raw sugar (sub granulated sugar) 
• toasted sesame oil
• Sichuan green flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil)
• mushroom soy sauce (sub dark soy sauce) 
• white pepper
• scallions (green parts only) for garnish
• finely sliced fresh red chili for garnish

Crispy Fried Pork Topping Ingredients

• 3 ½ ounces fatty ground pork (100g)
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Other Optional Toppings

• cilantro leaves
• crispy roasted or fried peanuts, crushed

How to Make Spicy Sichuan Wontons From Scratch (Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu)

As a side note, I had run out of coarse raw sugar when I made this post, so I substituted granulated sugar, but it's truly worth buying coarse sugar for the added crunchy texture you get when you take a bite of everything together.

1. Infuse the water with ginger (and scallions if using). Cut the ginger into matchsticks and press on them to crush them with the side of a chef's knife. If using scallions, cut them into 3 to 4 pieces and crush them with the side of the knife as well. Add the ginger (and scallions if using) to a bowl with cool water and set aside to steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
2. Mince the pork meat. Skip to step #3 if using pre-ground fatty pork. Chill the pork shoulder (or collar) meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes until firm but not frozen. This makes it easier to dice the meat into 2-inch pieces. Place the diced meat back into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to slightly firm up. When firm but not frozen, grind the meat using the Kitchen Aid meat grinder attachment using the smallest die (or another meat grinder). After the meat has been ground, use a cleaver or two chef knives to chop it even finer (see step-by-step photos) and add it to a mixing bowl. *Alternatively, you can just use a cleaver or two chef knives (one in each hand) to mince the pork without first grinding it.
3. Make the pork filling. Add the egg white (or the whole egg for extra richness), light soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper, and stir vigorously to combine. Next, add the ginger water in 3 stages mixing completely and fully after each addition to hydrate the meat for about 10 minutes. The mixture should be pasty and jiggly when it's finished (see photos). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. 
4. Fill the wontons. Place a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and add a small amount of filling (about 1 teaspoon) to the center. Using water or a cornstarch slurry, lightly wet one entire L-shaped corner of the wrapper and fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle. Seal the wrapper closed pressing down gently around the filling all the way around the wonton to press out any air. *If you don't press out the air, the wontons will open up while boiling and be ruined. Make an indention in the middle of the wonton using your finger to crease it. Bring one of the hanging "side flaps" over the top of the other "flap", add a dot of water or slurry, and press the two "flaps" together to seal. Place sealed wontons on a parchment-lined baking tray lightly dusted with cornstarch so they don't stick together. You may place the wontons directly into the freezer at this point while you make the crispy pork and heat the cooking water.
5. Make the crispy fried pork. Add a smashed garlic clove and the ground pork to a preheated skillet with a small amount of oil. Cook the pork until it begins to brown and crisp up (about 12 minutes). Add about 2 teaspoons of soy sauce to the skillet and stir to combine and continue cooking until desired crispiness is reached. Remove the pork to a plate and discard the garlic or reserve it for another use.
6. Make the wonton sauce. While the pork mixture is cooking, mix together all of the wonton sauce ingredients except the Sichuan chili oil) directly in the dish you're serving the wontons in. Stir everything well to combine and set aside.
7. Cook the wontons. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the wontons and gently stir them around the pot so they don't stick. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the wrappers look translucent and the filling is firm. Alternatively, if you prefer a more al dente cooked wrapper, after 2 minutes of cooking, you may add 1 cup of tap water to the pot to slow the cooking down but still allow the wontons to cook through. Remove the wontons to the serving dish with the sauce, top with crispy fried pork, scallions, and Sichuan chili oil, and serve immediately, and Enjoy!

How to Make Spicy Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons step-by-step photos

How to Freeze Extra Wontons For Quick & Easy 10-Minute Meals

It's so easy to freeze wontons and it's the way every Chinese family I know, stores them (including my own). This recipe makes just about 6 servings of 10 wontons per person which means you can freeze the wontons you don't cook right away.

To freeze wontons, place them onto a parchment-lined tray sprinkled with a little cornstarch and pop it into the freezer. Freeze the wontons completely (this takes about 45 minutes). When they are frozen solid you can add them to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you want to eat wontons simply add them frozen directly to boiling water or broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not thaw frozen wontons first before cooking them because this will cause them to break and tear open because of the moisture.

More Delicious Dim Sum and Dumplings

If you're looking for a few other dishes to round out your takeout night in or to celebrate the Chinese New Year, below are a few of our favorites we think you may also enjoy.