Pork and prawn wontons

Skip the takeaway and make your own homemade pork and prawn wontons instead! Boiled or steamed, these versatile dumplings are sure to be a family favourite.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Wonton skins, for wrapping

For the filling

• 500 g pork mince
• 250 g prawn meat, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed ginger
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 25 ml light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp salt

For the sauce

• 100 ml Sichuan chilli oil (see below), or regular chilli oil
• 70 ml red vinegar
• 35 g sugar
• 25 ml light soy
• 10 ml prickly ash oil (Sichuan green peppercorn oil)

For the Sichuan chilli oil 

• 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable oil
• 45 g crushed dried chilli
• 12 g Sichuan pepper

Instructions

1. To make the Sichuan chilli oil, heat oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Bring oil up to 130˚C. Once oil is at the correct temperature pour in chilli and Sichuan pepper stir and remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Strain oil before using.
   
2. To make the dumpling filling, in a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Use your hands to ‘slap’ the meat into the bowl to fully incorporate the flavours and make it sticky.
   
3. To fill the dumplings, place a tablespoon (20 g) of the mixture in the center of a wrapper. Use some starch water to coat around the edge of the mixture and fold over to make a rectangle and seal the edges ensuring there are no holes. Then fold the two bottom corners together with some starch water to hold. Place on a lined baking tray and cover with a damp towel until ready to cook. Repeat until all your dumplings have been folded.
   
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add dumplings and boil for 3 -4 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the dumplings. Line a bamboo or metal steaming basket with a liner to fit. Arrange dumplings in the basket without them touching, cover and steam for 5 minutes.
   
5. While the dumplings are cooking, make the dressing by combining the ingredients in a medium bowl.
   
6. Serve the steamed pork and prawn dumplings with the dumpling sauce.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.