Wantons. Don’t you just love them? I can’t get enough of them! I love them in soups, with noodles and even on it’s own. Steamed, boiled and fried, gimme gimme! I love it when it is really stuffed to the max, and all you need is a few to fill your tummies. Recently, I went back to Food Republik with my dearest Peach Water, and decided to try their wantons in chilli oil and vinegar.
(Photo from my Taiwan trip in 2009, please excuse the blurry picture of the food, I think I was too excited and hungry haha)
The first time I had these were at the Shilin Night Market in Taiwan itself. Let me tell you, it’s a small bowl of yummy-ness! Silky smooth wantons, with flavoursome stuffing, chopped lettuce and a sauce that I still can’t replicate. It had chilli oil, sesame oil, vinegar and a nutty paste (might either be sesame paste or peanut). Just so so good! And because it’s so small, I could easily slurp down 2 bowls! haha
These from Food Republik were quite yummy too! Although they didn’t have the same sauce, but a really good balance of chilli oil and vinegar! They also garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander. All I needed was a bowl of these wantons and the popcorn chicken. My belly was very happy! (:
So a few days after having them. I was somehow craving for more. So instead of going down all the way to Boxhill, I decided to make my own version of it. I have to say, mine wasn’t anywhere close to the ones from Taiwan, but it was pretty similar to the one from Food Republik. Hooray! (:
I think the next time I will try to add a bit of sesame paste just to get the nutty flavour through the sauce. Lucky thing I made heaps of wantons, and because I only eat 4 each time (cos they are ginormous haha) so I could slowly try different versions! But if you’re a fan of the combination of spicy with a sour kick, do give these a try! I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked! Even though the wantons take a while to make, but it’s actually a pretty fun process and you’ll realise there are many ways to fold your wantons! Mine is just one of which (:
Wantons in Chilli Oil & Vinegar (An Original Recipe of FoodMadeWithLove)
Wantons
250g mince pork
100g fish paste
8 prawns, finely chopped
4 shitake mushrooms, soaked and diced finely
20g dried shrimp, soaked and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 heap tsp corn starch
1 stalk of spring onion, finely chopped
Wanton wrappers
Sauce (for 4 wantons)
1 tbs chilli oil* (I used 老干妈)
1 tbs black vinegar*
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts & fried shallots (for garnish)
Steps :
1) For the wantons : In a frying pan, fry the dried shrimp and garlic till fragrant. Set aside. In a large metal bowl, add all the ingredients as well as the fried dried shrimp and garlic and mix till well combined.
2) Place a portion on a wonton wrapper, wet the two sides with water and fold it into half. Press all the air out and stick the two ends together.
3) In a pot of boiling water, drop the wantons in and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the wantons start floating at the top. Drain and set a side.
4) In a small bowl, combine the sauces together until well combined. Place the wantons on top of the sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, peanuts and fried shallots.
5) Give it a good mix to make sure the wantons are coated with the sauce and soaking in all the good stuff! ENJOY!
* Note : I do love spicy food and I love my black vinegar too, so do give it a taste after mixing the sauces and adjust accordingly to what you fancy!
Remember to always cook and bake with love ! (:
Food Made With Love 
These are one of my favourite types of wontons!!! I love love love the chilli!!! Hege my parents always eat wontons with soup but now I much prefer it was chilli yay!!! 🙂
Can’t wait to make some and will try your way to wrapping them 😀 you get so much more filling than mine hehe!
haha I love fat wantons! hehe That’s why mine is so big! haha but yes! This is my fav way to having them! just the combi of spicy and sour, gives my taste buds a kick! hehe Hope you enjoy it! xx
I’m glad you shared your recipe. If in Singapore, grandma would also add fresh water chestnuts. But I cannot find fresh ones here!
hehe no worries! hope you’ll like my version of wantons! hehe yea my mum use fresh water chestnuts as well but cant get it anywhere here! so can ones will have to do! x
Fresh water chestnuts really makes a difference. The canned ones were a little blah to be honest so now I skip that. Maybe I will investigate bamboo shoots.
Hehe I didn’t mind the tin ones actually. Oops! Haha but bamboo shoots sound like a good option!!! 🙂
Those wantons are huge!! I live the combination of chili oil and black vinegar too.
hehe I do too! Too good! (: Very addictive too! hehe and yes. my wantons are big! haha I like it super stuffed! x
Love*
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah that’s what I’m talking about! Cravings. For. Wontons. Now!!!
hehe thanks dearie! (: Make them! Very very satisfying, if I can say so myself! x
Your wantans look perfect!!!! SO PLUMP! 😀 hehe I tend to have blurry pictures when my whole family’s hungry!! Feel bad when I’m keeping them from eating so I start panicking! 😛
haha Yes! I’m like u babe! hehe I keep apologising when I need to snap a shot! hehe Whoops! hehe and thank you! I like to stuff my wantons and make them big! hehe noms! xx
These look fantastic! I love making wontons but for some reason mine always fall apart. I’ll have to have another go!
You might need to add a bit of corn flour and mix till the mixture doesnt stick to the side of the bowls! For extreme measures give the mixture a few throws into the bowl! hehe Hope that helps! (:
Oh wow – those look fantastic! I love wontons and vinegar and I bet these would be right up my alley. 🙂
hehe I’m glad to hear that they are many people who love this combination! hehe It’s definitely my fav way to have my wantons! hehe x
hehe now that I’ve seen how you wrap yours I know how to make large ones!
I’ve always wrapped them daintily like my mother taught me and the skin broke if I put too much filling inside. But now I know *evil laughter*
hahah (: my grandma folds small ones as well! So I know what u mean hehe But hopefully you’ll try these an make huge ones! hehe enjoy!
I made this dish earlier this dish and although I thought it was a success, there was something missing in the sauce and I couldn’t figure out what…
I’m going to try adding oyster sauce next time and also give your wanton recipe a go too – putting fish paste and shrimps = great idea!
Ahhh 🙂 yes. I put oyster sauce in mine cause I think it give a salty addition to the dish! Hehe might try adding some nutty paste soon! Hehe thank u! Let me know what u think! Hehe
My dearest Twinnie,
Ever so talented – so proud of you ❤
Thanks for always sharing your recipes with us 🙂
x
Hehe you’re most welcome my dear! 🙂 always happy to share! Hhe more to come! x
I used to wrapped fat wantons as well till Mummy complains…LOL
Loved homemade wanton coz I gets to control what fillings in it.
It’s also really good frozen for emergency.
I had never had it with vinegar and chilli oil. It’s always traditional wanton with egg noodles.
yes, I make heaps and freeze them too! hehe I don’t usually have them with vinegar and chilli oil either! Totally forgot about this combi till I had it at Food Republik! haha Traditional wanton noodles are my fav too! hehe Fei Fei wanton mee! NOMS!
lovely post! this is one of my fav taiwanese snacks!
It’s one of mine too! And the huge friend chicken! Haha but this is much simpler! 😉
Look so beautiful, I could not bear to eat them
Thank you! 🙂 hehe I made heaps so I didn’t mind eating them! Hehe
I love wontons and all kinds of dumplings, sadly I don’t have ready wanton wrappers or good quality pork in Jordan 😦 do you have a delicious, authentic stuffing that I can use, since I don’t have pork available? and I will make my own wrappers from scratch (that’s a new challenge for me now).
Hi babe! (: No worries! You could easily use mince chicken too! Not necessary pork! hehe Let me know what you think!
and wow! making wrappers from scratch! hehe Cant wait to see it! xx
Hey! Where do you get your fish paste from? I’m in adelaide and the only fish paste I found was frozen ones from asian mart. If you make it yourself what fish do you use?