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1
Make the Filling
10 Mins
Room temperature — keep the pork cold, about 4°C (39°F), until mixing
Put the ground pork in a bowl with the grated ginger, 10 g minced garlic, 30 ml soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, 5 g sugar, white pepper, salt and the finely chopped spring onion. Mix with chopsticks in one direction for about 2 minutes, until the mixture turns sticky and holds together.
Stir in one direction only — it builds the sticky texture that keeps the filling juicy inside the wrapper.
Done when: The filling is sticky and pasty, and a spoonful holds its shape instead of falling apart.
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2
Fold the Wontons
15 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Lay a wrapper flat with one corner pointing towards you. Put one level teaspoon of filling in the centre, wet the edges with water, fold into a triangle and press the edges shut, pushing out the air. Bring the two bottom corners together, dab with water and press to seal — the crossed-hands shape that gives chao shou its name. Repeat for all 32 wontons.
One level teaspoon is enough — overfilling is the main reason wrappers burst in the water.
Done when: Each wonton is sealed all round with no filling at the edges and no air pockets inside.
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3
Mix the Chilli-Oil Sauce
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Whisk the chilli oil, black vinegar, 15 ml soy sauce, 8 g sugar, sesame paste, 10 g garlic and Sichuan pepper in a bowl until smooth. Divide the sauce between four serving bowls — the hot wontons go straight in and are tossed to coat.
Whisk the sesame paste in well — it should be creamy, not sitting in lumps at the bottom.
Done when: The sauce is glossy red, smooth, and tastes spicy, sour and numbing in that order.
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4
Boil the Wontons
6 Mins
Gentle boil, about 100°C (212°F)
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and slide the wontons in one at a time. Cook 4–5 minutes, stirring once very gently so they do not stick. They are done when they float and the wrappers look slightly translucent — lift one and check the pork inside is cooked through, 71°C (160°F). Drain well; do not rinse.
Do not boil hard — a rolling boil knocks the wontons about and splits the wrappers.
Done when: The wontons float, the wrappers are silky and slightly translucent, and the pork inside is cooked through, 71°C (160°F).
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5
Toss and Serve
4 Mins
Serve hot — above 60°C (140°F)
Tip 8 hot wontons into each bowl of sauce and toss gently until every wonton is glossy red. Scatter with sliced spring onion and serve at once, with extra chilli oil on the side for those who want more heat. Eat immediately — these wontons are at their best in the first minutes, while the wrappers are still silky.
Toss while the wontons are steaming hot — the heat loosens the sauce and helps it coat every fold.
Done when: Each bowl is steaming, the wontons are glossy red and coated, and the sauce pools lightly at the bottom — no broth.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Taste the sauce before the wontons go in and adjust in tiny amounts — more black vinegar if it needs brightness, more chilli oil if you want more heat. The wontons should be glossy and coated, never swimming in sauce.
China
35m
