Wontons in Chili Oil

1. Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
2. Chopped cilantro, stems and leaves, for garnish
3. For the wontons: Bring the dried mushrooms and 3 cups cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the mushrooms sit, covered, until soft, about 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the tough stems and finely chop the caps. Set aside.
4. While the mushrooms soak, finely mince the pork shoulder until it looks like coarse ground pork and transfer it to a fine-mesh colander set over a medium bowl of cold water. Gently mix the minced pork and leave to soak until the pork looks pink, about 5 minutes.
5. Drain the pork and discard the water. Firmly press the minced pork in the colander to squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer back to the empty medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch, the oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, fish sauce, bouillon powder, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and 1/4 cup cold water. Mix until evenly combined. Add the sesame oil and mix again (the mixture will be loose.)
6. Meanwhile, smash the shrimp with the side of a heavy knife (similar to how you might smash garlic cloves) until they are flattened and about 1/4-inch thick. Roughly chop the shrimp into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a small bowl and add the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch, remaining 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until evenly combined. Place the marinated shrimp and the scallions on top of the pork without mixing. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
7. Mix the pork, shrimp and scallion with the finely chopped mushrooms until just combined. When ready to wrap the wontons, fill a small bowl with cold water for sealing them.
8. Place a wonton wrapper on your palm and place a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Using your finger, swipe all four edges of the wonton wrapper with a thin coat of water. Take the corner of the wrapper closest to you and join it with the opposite corner to form a triangle and pinch the sides close. Take the two opposite side corners and scrunch them to the middle corner to make folds and give you three points at the top. Firmly press the wrapper closer to the filling to seal. The closer you press the filling, the less air bubbles in the wonton to prevent it from bursting during cooking. Set the wonton filling-side down on a parchment- or plastic-lined sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
9. Chill the wontons in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, until needed. At this point, you can freeze the wontons in a single layer until frozen solid. Once frozen, transfer to a resealable freezer bag, remove excess air and freeze for up to 2 months.
10. To cook the wontons, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches of about 12 to 15 wontons at a time, gently lower the wontons into the boiling water. Stir carefully so they don’t stick together. Reduce the heat to medium for a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wontons are floating and the wrappers look translucent, 3 to 4 minutes (add a few more minutes if cooking from frozen). Transfer the wontons with a slotted spoon or spider to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining wontons.
11. For the sauce: While the wontons cook, mix the chili oil, light soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and sugar together in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves.
12. To serve, drizzle the cooked wontons with sauce and top with scallion and cilantro. Enjoy while they’re hot with more chili oil if desired.

Homemade Chili Oil:

1. Heat the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, garlic and shallot in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble, about 3 minutes. Reduce to low heat and leave to infuse until the oil is aromatic and the shallots and garlic have browned, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. If it bubbles vigorously, move the pan so it’s half on the burner and just bubbles gently. Once the shallots and garlic have browned, let cool for 5 minutes or until the temperature registers 250 to 275 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
2. Meanwhile, place the chili flakes in a medium heatproof bowl with a medium strainer set on top of the chili flakes to strain the aromatics from the oil. Set aside.
3. Pour the hot steeped oil through the strainer, catching the spices and shallots. Discard the solids. Stir 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into the hot chili oil. Let the oil infuse with the chili flakes at room temperature until cool enough to handle. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.