“Yeah. And then we just
like sprinkle on top, Because it could be optional. It’s not really optional. Everyone should
do it, actually. Nothing is optional.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “Hi, I’m Sue Li. I am a food stylist, as
well as a ‘New York Times’ Contributor. And today we are going to make
wontons for Dumpling Week. I love this version
of a chili oil wonton. It’s a flavor that I tasted
when I was a line cook in New York City. We would have late night
takeout meals sometimes, And it was just a
very familiar flavor. It was a pork and shrimp
wonton with a chili oil sauce. It was like slightly
sweet, and salty, And had peanuts on it. Here, I’ve tried to
recreate it for you. So this wonton is actually a
very classic wonton recipe. Let’s make the filling. I’m going to chop some shrimp. You don’t need to
chop it super finely. I’m going to combine ground
pork, chopped up shrimp, White pepper, salt,
Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, And soy sauce. You don’t really have to
be afraid of overmixing. I’m going to combine all of
these ingredients together Until the flavors are
evenly distributed.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “Now let’s head into
wrapping our wontons. Set yourself up with a
sheet tray, or any tray. Get a small bowl of
water so that you
Can seal them properly. Dust it thoroughly
with cornstarch. This is a wonton wrapper
that you can pretty much Buy in any grocery store. I hold it up in
my hand like this, So that the two points
are here and here. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of
the filling in the center. Dab my finger in a
little bit of water. Wet the top edges
of the wrapper, Then seal it in half
into a triangle. Make a divot in the center
where the filling is. Shape it so that it looks
like a fortune cookie, And then join showing the
two edges together, like so. Now this is a shape that
resembles a gold ingot. It’s a very lucky symbol that
resembles wealth and fortune, And just good vibes to come.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “I think making dumplings
is very meditative. I do go into a trance
when I make it. I listen to a podcast
or I work in silence.” Solo? “Solo. I don’t — I don’t really like it when
you come into the kitchen when I’m cooking, because
people are messy, And I’m very controlling. This is my personality. And you can come and eat, and
also do not help clean up.” “I’m blushing because
I’m embarrassed. It’s true, though.” “You want to make
some with me? Remember how I was like,
‘don’t come in my kitchen?’ That’s O.K. I’m just joking. I want you to
stand right here.
I’m going to tell you
exactly what to do. We’ll do it together one
time, and then there’s a test. Wrapper, just put the whole
spoon in your wrapper. Water. And dab in the other.” “One strip, one
strip that way.” “Pick the side up. Fold it in half
into a triangle. Pinch, pinch, pinch
to make a tight seal. Divot with your finger. And then what I would like
you to do, you see this.” “Oh, it’s a very demure lady.” “It is a very — I do think these
are very demure.” “Oh, I did it.” “Yeah. Oh my God, it’s beautiful. Do this. Look at this perfect
thing you made.” – [LAUGHS]: “Who’s holding it?” “Do it again. So here we have a tray of the
wontons already assembled, Cover it with plastic wrap,
and set it in the refrigerator While we prepare
the chili oil sauce. The sauce is so delicious. I made a recipe where you
have to make a little extra. And that’s because you can add
as much of the sauce as you Want onto your wontons, or you
can save it for another meal. I would like you to put in
a heatproof bowl, preferably Stainless, your
scallions, garlic, Pepper flakes, sesame
seeds, Bay leaf, star anise. And then we’re going to
heat up some vegetable oil In a saucepan over medium-high
heat until it’s almost
At a smoking point. The surface of the oil will
first start to look like it’s Shimmering, and it’s a little
wavy, but all of a sudden, It’ll stop doing the shimmer. And that is about when you
want to take it off and pour It over your seasoning.” [MUSIC PLAYING] [LAUGHS] “So the dark soy sauce and the
sweet soy sauce are essential. I almost want to say
that they’re my cheats. You kind of can’t substitute
that with sugar and soy sauce. You need to have these two
ingredients to really add To the deep savoriness
of this recipe. Let’s make some wontons. Let’s bring a pot
of water to a boil. I’m going to do
it in two batches. What I normally
would like to do Is swirl the water
before I add the wontons. Think of it as your
poultry and egg. You want to swirl your
water so it doesn’t stick To the bottom. In about five to
seven minutes, Depending on how fast your
pot comes back up to a boil, The wontons are now ready.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “And then you just
do a nice drizzle. When I say a drizzle, I mean,
flood it with a lot of sauce. And it can be finished here. You can serve it right
away, but it’s also a very Traditional thing to add
the ground peanuts on top. And the extra bonus is
the Sichuan peppercorns, Which has that slight numbing
flavor that people crave when They’re eating a
dish like this. You want another bit
of this bright, thinly
Sliced scallions on top. My mouth is watering. Let’s break for lunch.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “What I like to do is I like
to toss them in the sauce A little while
they’re in my bowl. They’re so good. I’m so proud of this recipe. You can taste the
shrimp and the pork, And then the sauce on top. There’s a bit of a
sweetness and the tanginess. Some crunch from the
peanuts and the garlic That was in the sauce
that has now crisped up. So these are the
chili oil wontons. They’re so
beautiful, actually. Look at that. Happy New Year. Happy New Year.
Very good fortune to you. Very good fortune to you. And if you want to find this
recipe and the other dumpling Recipes, please go to
New York Times’ Cooking. I did it. Let’s eat. Are we done? O.K., great. Milton, I’m sorry you
had to hear me chew.”
Have you ever wondered why most of the Vinaigrettes in the grocery store are made with 10, 20, sometimes even almost 30 ingredients? I remember growing up in Provence watching my mother whipping vinaigrettes before every single dinner. She would mix in a giant bowl, delicious extra virgin olive oil, a robust aged vinegar (the flavor would depend on the main dish), sea salt and pepper and voila! I decided to do the same thing for my family and friends more than 20 years ago here in this beautiful country. And Provence Kitchen® was born. Stay tune for more articles and wonderful family recipes..
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