P
Chinese · Chengdu, Sichuan
Sichuan Spicy Wontons (Chao Shou)
Chao shou (literally 'crossed arms' — describing the folded wrapper shape): Sichuan's wontons in a chili-sesame sauce. Unlike Cantonese wontons in clear broth, Chengdu chao shou are served in a complex room-temperature sauce of sesame paste, chili oil, garlic, soy, and black vinegar. The wonton skin is slightly thicker than Cantonese, and the filling is simpler — pure seasoned pork.
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I
The Market List
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For the filling
300 g
minced pork
seasoned
Your own market
1 tsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
Shaoxing rice wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
½ tsp
sesame oil
Your own market
½ tsp
salt
Your own market
For the wrappers
200 g
chao shou wrappers
slightly thicker than Cantonese wonton wrappers; square-cut
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sauce
2 tbsp
sesame paste
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
chili oil
at room temperature
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tbsp
black vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 cloves
garlic
freshly pressed
Your own market
To finish
½ tsp
Sichuan pepper
ground to a powder
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
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II
The Method
1
Combine the minced pork with soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sesame oil, and salt. Mix thoroughly until the seasoning is evenly distributed. The filling should be cohesive and hold its shape when pressed — not wet, not crumbling.
From the canon — Shaoxing huangjiu (绍兴黄酒, Shaoxing yellow wine) is the premier Chinese rice wine — a fermented rice wine made in Shaoxing city in Zhejiang province for at lea… Shaoxing Rice Wine (绍兴黄酒) — Production, Grades, and Culinary Use →
2
Lay a wrapper flat. Place a small amount of filling — no more than a teaspoon — at the centre. Fold the wrapper diagonally to form a triangle, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Bring the two base corners together across the filling and press to join, creating the crossed-arms shape. The pocket must close easily without stretching the wrapper; if it resists, the filling is too large.
3
This is where the dish lives or dies: compose the sauce by combining sesame paste, chili oil, freshly pressed garlic, soy sauce, and black vinegar. Work the elements together until the sauce is smooth and fully integrated — no streaks of separated oil, no unblended paste. Taste: the sauce must balance richness, heat, sharpness, and salt in equal measure. Adjust one element at a time. The chili oil must be at room temperature so it flows and coats; a cold sauce will not emulsify or cling.
4
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the wontons in batches, stirring once to prevent sticking. Cook until the wrappers are translucent and the skins have a slight resilience when pressed — not doughy at the fold.
5
Drain the wontons and allow them to cool briefly to room temperature, or serve slightly warm — not piping hot. Spoon the sauce over the wontons and turn gently to coat each one. Finish with a dusting of ground Sichuan pepper. The surface should glisten uniformly with the chili-sesame sauce.
From the canon — Sichuan pepper — hua jiao (flower pepper) — is not pepper at all but the dried husk of the berry of the prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum simulans or Z. Sichuan Pepper (Hua Jiao): Toasting, Grinding, and the Ma Experience →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Hand-rolled chao shou wrappers of the correct thickness; premium Pixian doubanjiang-based chili oil rendered in-house; hand-pressed Sichuan pepper ground to order.
02
Estate — Good-quality commercial chao shou wrappers (not Cantonese); a reputable Sichuan chili oil; Chinese sesame paste (not Middle-Eastern tahini, which differs in roast character).
03
Market — Any thicker square wonton wrapper available; a reliable chili oil with visible sediment; standard black vinegar (Chinkiang).
04
House — Cantonese wonton wrappers used as a last resort — acknowledge the wrapper will be too thin and the sauce pocket will not form as intended; the dish is compromised but still edible.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The sealed crossed-arms fold closes without stretching — the wrapper lies flat and the join holds under light pressure.
◇Sight. Cooked wrappers turn translucent across the whole surface, with no white, opaque patches remaining at the thicker folds.
◇Taste. The finished sauce delivers richness, heat, sharpness, and salt simultaneously — no single element dominates.
◇Smell. The freshly pressed raw garlic is sharp and immediate in the sauce — if it has mellowed, the garlic was not pressed fresh enough.
◇Where it lives or dies. The sauce — sesame paste, chili oil, freshly pressed garlic, soy, and black vinegar — must be balanced and fully integrated at room temperature; no single element may dominate, and the chili oil must flow freely enough to coat every wonton.
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VI
What to Pour
A cold, lightly sweet Chinese lager cuts the chili oil cleanly. Alternatively, a dry-style Taiwanese oolong — its roasted vegetal character mirrors the sesame paste without competing with the Sichuan pepper's numbing heat. Avoid tannic red wines, which clash with black vinegar.
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