Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (2024)

Sweet, savory, garlicky, and not as spicy as they look, Sichuan spicywontons (aka Hong You Chao Shou, 紅油抄手, in Mandarin) are a delicious combination of sweet soy sauce, raw garlic, roasted red chili, and a touch of vinegar to balance things out.

In the U.S., we’re in the midst of a huge explosion in the popularity of Sichuan food. Sichuan and Hunan-style restaurants are appearing in all of the major cities, and we like it! No matter where we travel in the U.S.–New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Houston, or Seattle–we always seem to find Sichuan cuisine, and these red chili oil wontons are one of the bestSichuan-style appetizers you can find.

Needless to say, we all love Sichuan and Hunan food, and all of the spice that goes with it. These wontons are truly tasty with an astoundingly great flavor. I fell in love with them the first time they made it to our table while eating out. Naturally, I decided that we needed to document a go-to recipe for ourselves, and, of course, for our faithful readers to enjoy as well!

You can follow the classicSichuan wonton recipe in this post or also use a differentwonton like the ones in our popular simple wonton soup.

Homemade roasted chili oil is an important ingredient that makes these spicy wontonsspecial and sets them apart from most restaurant versions. Raw garlic is also an essential ingredient—so skip these for date night! Follow our recipe first and see how you like it the way we make it, and then you can adjust the amount of ingredients in the sauce to your own preferences. Some like their spicy wontons garlicky, sweeter, more vinegary, saltier, or spicier, so have it your way!

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (1)

Here’s how you make these!

Recipe Instructions

Start by making the chili oil. You can follow our easy homemade chili oil recipe here.

Next, add all of the wonton filling ingredients (ground pork, chopped scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, oil, water, and white pepper) to a bowl. Whip everything together by hand for 5 minutes or in a food processor for 1 minute. You want the pork to look a little bit like a paste.

To make the wontons, take a wonton wrapper, and add about a teaspoon of filling. Use your finger to coat the edges with water or egg wash (this helps the two sides seal together).

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (3)

Fold the wonton in half so you have a rectangle shape. Bring together the two outer corners so they overlap slightly, add another drop of water or egg wash, and press to seal.

The two outer corners are overlapped slightly to resemble crossed hands, which is literally what the “chao shou” means in the mandarin name, Hong You Chao Shou (紅油抄手).

For more detailed wonton folding photos, instructions and different ways to wrap wontons, see Sarah’s post on How to fold wontons – astep-by-step guide.

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (4)

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (5)

Keep assembling until all the filling is gone, which should make you about 18 wontons. Like all wonton recipes, you can double or triple the batch, eat some, then freeze the rest for another day. Place the wontons on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Boil a pot of water for the wontons. While the water is coming to a boil, make the sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together (light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chili oil, salt to taste, sesame paste, sugar, and garlic) in a small mixing bowl.

If you like it spicy, add more of the chili peppers and not just the oil from your homemade chili oil. This recipe makes enough for 18 or 20 wontons.

Give the boiling water a good stir and drop the wontons in, being careful not to crowd them. Continue stirring so they do not stick. Adjust the heat to achieve a low boil, and cook the wontons for about 2 minutes or until the wrappers begin to look translucent. I like mine a little bit al dente, so I take them out right at 2 minutes when they float to the top.

Use a slotted spoon to drain the water and transfer the wontons to a serving bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the boiling water into your sauce, then pour the sauce over the wontons. You can see why this Sichuan spicy wontons dish is sometimes called red oil wontons!

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (6)

Garnish with scallion if using and serve!

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (7)

If you like it spicy, you cannot pass up this Sichuan red chili oil wonton!

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (8)

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4.77 from 17 votes

Sichuan Spicy Wontons

These Sichuan Spicy Wontons are the perfect appetizer or main course meal. The sauce features an amazing blend of flavors. Check out our homemade recipe.

by: Bill

Course:Appetizers and Snacks

Cuisine:Chinese

Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (9)

serves: 6

Prep: 40 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 50 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

To make the wontons:

  • 6 oz. ground pork (170g)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or canola oil)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 pinch fresh ground white pepper
  • 18 wonton wrappers

For the sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (preferred, or rice wine vinegar)
  • 6 tablespoons homemade chili oil (plus 2 teaspoons of the toasted chili from the oil)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame paste (or tahini)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

To garnish (optional):

  • Chopped scallion

Instructions

  • Next, add all of the wonton filling ingredients to a bowl (everything from the pork to the white pepper) and whip everything together by hand for 5 minutes or in a food processor for 1 minute. You want the pork to look a little bit like a paste.

  • To make the wontons, take a wrapper, and add about a teaspoon of filling. Use your finger to coat the edges with water or egg wash (this helps the two sides seal together).

  • Fold the wonton in half so you have a rectangle shape. Bring together the two outer corners so they overlap slightly, add another drop of water or egg wash, and press to seal.

  • Keep assembling until all the filling is gone, which should make you about 18 wontons. Like all wonton recipes, you can double or triple the batch, eat some, then freeze the rest for another day. Place the wontons on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

  • Boil a pot of water for the wontons. While the water is coming to a boil, make the sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. If you like spicy, add more of the chili peppers and not just the oil from your homemade chili oil. This recipe makes enough for 18 or 20 wontons.

  • Give the boiling water a good stir and drop the wontons in, being careful not to crowd them. Continue stirring so they do not stick. Adjust the heat to achieve a low boil, and cook the wontons for about 2 minutes or until the wrappers begin to look translucent. I like mine a little bit al dente, so I take them out right at 2 minutes when they float to the top.

  • Use a slotted spoon to drain the water and transfer the wontons to a serving bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the boiling water into your sauce, then pour the sauce over the wontons. Garnish with scallion if using and serve!

nutrition facts

Calories: 308kcal (15%) Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) Protein: 8g (16%) Fat: 23g (35%) Saturated Fat: 5g (25%) Cholesterol: 22mg (7%) Sodium: 801mg (33%) Potassium: 119mg (3%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 10IU Vitamin C: 0.7mg (1%) Calcium: 18mg (2%) Iron: 1.3mg (7%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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Sichuan Spicy Wontons Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are Oriental wontons? ›

If you've never had wontons, they're basically juicy, chewy balls of minced meat folded inside thin sheet of doughs. Wontons are a quintessential Chinese dish with a ton of variations, both in folding techniques and fillings, throughout the different regions of China.

What are Chinese wontons made of? ›

Traditional Chinese wonton wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs and water, and can be used to wrap around any number of fillings to be cooked in soups or fried.

What's the difference between a wonton and a dumpling? ›

When comparing Chinese dumplings vs wontons, some key differences are: Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thinner, are usually square, and may contain egg. Dumpling wrappers are thicker, are usually round, and don't require egg. Filling: Dumplings can be filled or unfilled.

What is Szechuan made of? ›

Schezwan sauce is a popular Indo-Chinese condiment made with red chilies, garlic, soya sauce, vinegar and Sichuan peppers. Also known as Schezwan Chutney, it gets the name from the use of Sichuan peppers in the preparation of this sauce.

What is the difference between wontons and Rangoon? ›

What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

What is the filling in a wonton made of? ›

Make the Pork and Shrimp Wonton Filling

To the pork and shrimp, add chopped scallions, minced garlic & ginger, then season with light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, and msg. Mix in ONE direction with your hand until you see streaks on the bowl as seen in the images below.

What oil do you fry wontons in? ›

I like to use either peanut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying. Both are neutral flavored and have a high smoke point. They can handle the amount of heat needed to make sure that your wonton strips fry up crispy without absorbing too much oil.

Are wontons Thai or Chinese? ›

Wontons, which have their origins in China, has achieved significant popularity as a sought-after delicacy that is not only celebrated and enjoyed in East Asian cuisine, but also across various Southeast Asian culinary traditions as well.

Are wontons and potstickers the same thing? ›

In a nutshell, potstickers and wontons are types of dumplings. Potstickers are steam-fried, while wontons are boiled or deep-fried. When it comes to dough ingredients, potstickers or traditional dumplings generally use wheat flour and water. On the other hand, wontons use flour, egg, and water.

What kind of meat is inside wontons? ›

Wontons are basically fried dumplings that are filled with a mix of vegetables and meat, typically ground beef or pork. Wontons wrappers are typically thinner and made with wheat flour, whereas dumplings can be made from potato or wheat flour. Both can be boiled, steamed, or fried.

Are wontons healthy? ›

Consuming fried or steamed wontons is not likely to impart any significant health benefits. The food does provide energy in the form of carbohydrates and fat. If meat, poultry, or seafood is added you'll also get a small benefit from protein which helps to build and maintain muscle mass.

What makes Szechuan spicy? ›

Sichuan peppercorns are from the prickly ash bush and their flavor is sometimes compared to touching a battery to the tongue. That nice, zingy flavor that numbs the mouth slightly and gives a bit of a shocking feeling is the signature flavor of a lot of dishes from this cuisine.

What is the difference between Sichuan and Szechuan? ›

Szechuan is the phonetic spelling which was used in the West before the romanization of Chinese (called pinyin) was adopted in the 1980s. In pinyin, it is spelt Sichuan. In Chinese, 四川 四 (si - meaning four) and 川 (chuan - meaning river). Sichuan is a province in South West (south central actually) China.

Which ingredient gives Szechuan dishes a fiery flavor? ›

Much of that unique fragrance comes from Sichuan peppercorn. And while málà is one of the best-loved flavour profiles of the cuisine, the peppercorn's aroma plays a part across different types of Sichuan dishes, not only the spicy ones.

What are the different types of wontons? ›

Jiangsu are often called "wonton." Wontons have two types, small wontons, and big wontons. Big wontons are a large ingot shape. Generally boiled, the soup will usually be matched with a thin egg omelette, seaweed, mustard greens, and shrimp.

Are wontons Chinese or Japanese? ›

Most dumplings are usually served with a thicker wrap. Wontons originate from China, with evidence of its existence going as far back as the Qing Dynasty (1644). Wonton soup was enjoyed by the rich, upper class families but after World War II, it became more widespread.

What is a wonton in Chinese food? ›

The Cantonese source of wonton is wan t'an, "stuffed dumpling." Definitions of wonton. a Chinese dumpling filled with spiced minced pork; usually served in soup. synonyms: won ton. type of: dumpling, dumplings.

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