P
Chinese
Hong You Chao Shou (红油抄手) — Sichuan Wontons in Chilli Oil
Chao shou (抄手, literally crossed arms) are the Sichuan name for wontons — thin-skinned pork parcels served in a bowl of chilli oil and sauce rather than in a broth. The name refers to the folding method: the wrapper placed flat, the filling placed in the center, the sides folded and crossed over like crossing your arms. Chao shou are a fixture of Chengdu morning street food culture and one of the most accessible expressions of the mala flavour profile.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
32–36
square wonton wrappers
8–9 cm, thin commercial variety
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the filling
250 g
minced pork
Your own market
1 tsp
2
scallions
finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
soy sauce
½ tsp
salt
Your own market
For the sauce
2 tbsp
chilli oil
with sediment
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
Chinkiang black vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
sesame oil
Your own market
½ tsp
ground Sichuan peppercorn
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
sugar
Your own market
1–2 tbsp
wonton cooking water
hot, reserved from boiling
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the minced pork, ginger, scallion, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and salt in a bowl. Mix thoroughly until the mixture coheres but remains loose — it should spread slightly under light pressure rather than hold a firm shape.
From the canon — Spring onion is the most ubiquitous aromatic in Chinese cooking and its function is more complex than its common use as a garnish suggests. SCALLION (SPRING ONION) TECHNIQUE →
2
Lay a wonton wrapper flat. Place no more than 1 tsp of filling at the centre. Fold diagonally to form a triangle, pressing the edges firmly to expel any air and seal without gaps. Draw the two base corners of the triangle toward each other, cross them over like crossed arms, and press together. The join must hold under the pressure of a pinch — if it yields, press again. This is where the dish lives or dies: an insufficient seal allows the wrapper to open during boiling, the filling disperses into the cooking water, and the wonton is lost.
3
Combine all sauce ingredients except the cooking water in each serving bowl, dividing equally. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Leave the bowls beside the hob.
4
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the wontons in batches, stirring once to prevent sticking. Cook until they float and the wrappers turn fully translucent with no white, floury patches remaining — the skin will be glossy and offer no resistance when pressed against the side of the pot with a spoon.
5
Ladle 1–2 tbsp of the hot cooking water into each sauce bowl and stir. Lift the wontons with a spider or slotted spoon, draining well, and divide among the bowls. Serve immediately: the sauce should coat the wrappers in a thin, lacquered film with the chilli sediment and peppercorn visible throughout.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — House-made wonton wrappers rolled to near-translucency; hand-minced pork shoulder with a coarse, loose texture; single-origin Sichuan chilli oil rendered from facing-heaven chillies with full sediment; freshly ground Hanyuan Sichuan peppercorn at peak fragrance.
02
Estate — Fresh commercial wonton wrappers sourced from a Chinese grocer on the day of use; good-quality minced pork with visible fat; artisan chilli oil with sediment; whole Sichuan peppercorns toasted and ground to order.
03
Market — Standard supermarket wonton wrappers; supermarket minced pork; widely available jarred chilli oil (with sediment where possible); pre-ground Sichuan peppercorn used within three months of opening.
04
House — Any available square wonton wrapper; standard minced pork; chilli oil without sediment; pre-ground pepper of uncertain age. The mala character will be muted but the dish remains structurally intact.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The sealed edge of each folded wonton yields nothing under a firm pinch — no air pocket, no parting of the dough.
◇Sight. Wontons float to the surface and the wrappers are fully translucent, glossy, with no opaque or floury patches.
◇Sight. In the finished bowl, the sauce forms a thin lacquered film over each wrapper, with chilli sediment and peppercorn distributed throughout.
◇Where it lives or dies. The crossed-arm seal must hold without gaps — an open wonton loses its filling to the boiling water and cannot be recovered.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
A lightly chilled, off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer carries enough residual sweetness to temper the mala heat and enough acidity to cut through the sesame and chilli oil. A cold Sichuan-style tea — jasmine or green — is the street-food pairing of record.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance