The wontons. One of the first dishes that I tried when I came to China, thanks to which I had a positive feeling with this cuisine, today are here on this blog, in the Chengdu version. Dumplings filled with pork meat, seasoned with a sauce that is a joy of spices and aromas, that will play with yours taste buds between sweet, savory, spiced and hot, disovering new shades at every bite.

This is also the first four-hands recipe:thanks to my wonderful partner, without which I’d never pass the laziness of face such an elaborate recipe and I never get amused like I did in making it. Whatever, the nicest part was to enjoy the result with an epic and delicious feast! And I’m here to explain – better as I can – how to replicate this joy for the palate.

 

Innanzitutto armatevi di pazienza: i wonton non sono complicati ma la loro realizzazione prevede diversi passaggi. Se avete già dimestichezza con pasta fatta in casa, meglio ancora se ripiena, siete a cavallo. Altrimenti buttatevi e provate: l’unico modo per acquisire abilità nel cucinare è provare e riprovare.

La pasta è semplicemente fatta da acqua e farina e risulta morbida, elestica e facile da lavorare. L’impasto è tuttosommato semplice e leggermente speziato. Quello che conferisce il vero carattere al piatto è il condimento, di cui vi consiglio – per quanto possibile – di rispettare gli ingredienti originali, di non sostituirli od ometterli, pena l’abbassamento della qualità del risultato. Vi metterò comunque i link nella lista degli ingredienti per aiutarvi a reperirli.

Il vino di Shaoxing altro non è che un vino da cottura che in questo caso si sostituisce senza problemi con del vino bianco. Salsa di soia e olio di sesamo si trovano nei supermercati meglio forniti o nei negozi di articoli asiatici. Qui potete provare a cercare anche lo spring onion: non l’ho tradotto perchè non sapevo esattamente come renderlo senza trarvi in inganno. Infatti sarebbe il cipollotto, ma in Italia non è decisamente lo stesso ortaggio. Lo spring onion – che vedete in foto, sullo sfondo – è sottile e con un gusto particolare, di cui si usa sia la parte bianca che verde, usato quotidianamente nella cucina cinese. La salsa piccante invece è una pasta di fagioli rossi e peperoncino. Se proprio non riuscite a trovarla usate dell’olio aromatizzato al peperoncino, meglio se non d’oliva. Dev’essere bello piccante però, eh?

La ricetta è tratta da un meraviglioso libro, “Every grain of Rice”, di Fuchsia Dunlop, che vi consiglio caldamente! Ma veniamo alla ricetta…

Sichaunese wontons in chilli oil sauce

From “Every grain of rice”, F. Dunlop

Ingredients for 2-3 serves:

for the skin

• 300 g all purpose flour
• 180 ml water
• more flour for the board

for the filling

• 150 g minced pork
• 20 g piece of ginger unpeeled
• 1 little egg
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• salt
• ground white pepper
• 3 tbsp stock
• 3 tbsp finely sliced spring onion greens

to serve

• 4 tbsp sweet aromatic soy sauce
• 2  heaped heaped tsp crushed garlic
• 2 chili oil, with its sediment
• 2 tbsp finely sliced spring onion greens

Let’s do the skin. Sift the flour in  a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in about 180 ml cold water and draw in the flour to make a stiff but pliable dough. Knead for several minutes until smooth and elastic, then cover with the bowl and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.

The filling. Crush the ginger with the flat part of a knife and put it in a cup with just enough cold water to cover. Place the pork, egg, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil in a bowl with 1+1/2 tsp of the ginger water and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Mix in the stock, 1 tbsp at a time. Finally add the spring onion greens.

Let’s do the wontons. On a lightly floured board roll the dough into a couple of sausages 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Usa a knife to cut the dough into 2cm pieces. Lay each piece cut end-up on the board and flatten with your palm, to make convex discs. Roll the discs into flat wrappers about 7cm in diameter. The best way to do this is to cradle the far edge of a disc in the finger of your left hand while you roll from near edge into the center, turning the disc between rolling movements. You will end up with a slightly curved disc that is thinner at the edges than in the center. Lay the wrappers on a board.

Fill a small bowl with cold water. Take a wonton disc and lay it flat in one hand. Use a knife to press about 1 tsp of the pork mixture into the center of the wrapper. Dip a finger into the water, run it around the edges of the wrapper and fold it in half. Press the edges tightly together and give it the shape of a “tortellino”. Go on until you have ingredients.

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. While yu are waiting for the water to boil, prepare two or three serving bowls. In each of them place 1 tbsp of sweet aromatic soy sauce, 1 tbps chili oil and 1 heaped tsp of crushed garlic. When the water has come to a boil, drop in the wontons. Stir gently to make sure don’t stick together. Cooking time depends on how large your wontons are: try with a couple, ours were ready in 6-7 minutes. when the wontons are ready remove them with a slotted spoon, drain well, and divide between the serving bowls. Scatter each bowl with some of the spring onion greens. Serve immediately.