Categorically speaking (on Yelp), we’re considered an “Asian fusion” restaurant. I used to be real uppity and kind of snooty about that—“Oh NO, we’re not fancy FU-SION!” Although I’ve since come to terms with that, I still prefer saying we’re a “pan-Asian” or an “Asian-Asian” restaurant. Yeah, I know it’s quirky and doesn’t make sense—until you come across a dish like THIS, which is the marriage of two popular Szechuan (Sichuan) dishes that just make sense to fuse = Asian-Asian fusion.
2–4 SERVINGS
SZECHUAN CHILI OIL:
10 tablespoons chili oil
6½ tablespoons light soy sauce
2½ tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock
5 teaspoons minced garlic
WONTONS:
2 russet potatoes, peeled and thinly julienned
2 ounces fresh ginger
6½ ounces shrimp, head-off, peeled, and deveined (see The SK Way)
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine
6 strands green or yellow chives
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
3 pinches ground black pepper
3 pinches ground white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 pack wonton wrappers*
4 dried whole Thai chili peppers
¼ red bell pepper, julienned
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 pinches kosher salt
2 pinches sugar
Scallion, finely chopped, for garnish
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
SZECHUAN CHILI OIL:
7 cups tablespoons chili oil
4½ cups light soy sauce
1½ cups sugar
7 cups Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock
1 cup garlic, minced
WONTONS:
20 russet potatoes, peeled and thinly julienned
1¼ pounds fresh ginger
4 pounds shrimp
10 pounds ground pork
¼ cup sesame oil
¼ cup Chinese cooking wine
12 ounces green or yellow chives
10 tablespoons chicken bouillon
1¾ teaspoons ground black pepper
1¾ teaspoons ground white pepper
3½ tablespoons kosher salt
10 large eggs
10 packs wonton wrappers*
40 dried whole Thai chili peppers
2¼ red bell pepper, julienned
1¾ cups rice vinegar
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1¼ teaspoons sugar
1. MAKE YOUR SZECHUAN CHILI OIL FIRST: Mix all chili oil ingredients in a pot and heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before using or refrigerating (covered).
2. Soak potatoes in a salted ice water bath to remove starch (this is the same thing we do for our airy and crunchy french fries).
3. Crush ginger with the flat side of a cleaver or a dull end of any object. Soak in a bowl of cold water for 3–4 minutes.
4. Hand-mince shrimp with a knife until the texture is slightly chunky. Transfer to a larger mixing bowl to combine all the wonton wrapping ingredients.
5. Check on potatoes. If water is too cloudy, drain and refill bowl with more ice water.
6. Next, in the bowl with the shrimp, add ground pork, sesame oil, cooking wine, chives, chicken bouillon, black pepper, white pepper, and salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands in one direction until the mix is fully incorporated.
7. Remove ginger from water and dispose of the ginger; then slowly incorporate ginger-infused water into the pork-shrimp mix. Make sure meat fully absorbs the water. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Drain water from the potato bowl; to get those potatoes extra crunchy, wash and shake off remaining starch under a constant stream of cold water until the water is completely clear. To prevent oxidization, leave potatoes submerged in water; set aside until ready to cook.
9. When ready to wrap your wontons, beat egg for your egg wash in a separate bowl. Set aside.
10. Remove pork-shrimp mixture from refrigerator. Wrap your wontons on a clean and flat work surface (either a countertop or a large cutting board) that has been dusted with all-purpose flour. This will prevent any sticking or drying out while wrapping. Sprinkle on more flour as needed.
11. Open wonton wrapper packaging and fully cover wrappers with a damp towel; keep them covered at all times to prevent drying out and/or unraveling. Unused wrappers can be refrigerated for two or three days.
12. Next, lay down a single wonton wrapper and position it like a diamond. In the center of the diamond, place about a teaspoon of pork-shrimp mixture, roughly the size of a quarter.
13. Spread a thin layer of egg wash across the top corner of the wrapper. Bring together the bottom and top corners of the wrapper, pinch them together, then pinch along and seal both diagonal edges down to the side corners, forming a wonton triangle. Then fold in side corners one after the other so they overlap. Lightly pinch the folded side corners together so that they stick to one another. Place wrapped wontons on a tray. Repeat for the rest of the wontons.
14. Next, bring 2 inches of water to a boil over high heat.
15. While waiting for the water to boil, remove potatoes from water, pat dry, and set aside.
16. Next, dry-roast dried chili peppers in a pan/wok over high heat for 1 minute, then set aside in a bowl. Sauté bell peppers with a little cooking oil for 2 minutes, or until they’re cooked through but still crunchy. Set aside in a different bowl.
17. Stir-fry potatoes with cooking oil for 2–3 minutes. Then add rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Continue stir-frying until the potatoes are slightly translucent, but still crunchy. Hand-break roasted chilies into the pan, quickly toss in, remove pan from heat, plate, and top with the sautéed bell peppers and scallions.
18. Once water starts boiling, add wontons to pot and cook for 5–8 minutes. Give your wontons enough space to swim freely. Don’t pack them too tightly in the pot of water. To make sure the filling is cooked through, bite into one or check the internal temperature, which should be 145°F or higher.
Remove wontons from water with a slotted spoon, plate on top of stir-fried potatoes, and liberally ladle as much Szechuan Chili Oil on top of the wontons and enough for the potatoes to swim in a shallow pool of chili flavor. Enjoy while trying to get every little bit in every bite . . . the potato, bell pepper, and wonton. It’s an amazing marriage of flavor and textures. Enjoy feasting on our fusion!
We knew nothing about running a restaurant.
—FAILURES
* We like our wrappers thin and chewy, with a visible amount of powdery starch in the pack, which usually means the wrappers are made fresh and the wrappers aren’t stuck together.