Name: Wonton soup
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 20g dried shiitake mushrooms; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 cloves, finely chopped garlic; a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped ginger; ground to make 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns; 750ml chicken stock; 5 tbsp (see notes below) chinkiang black vinegar; 2 tsp soft dark brown sugar; 2 tbsp (see notes below) chiu chow chilli oil; a handful of leaves, to serve coriander; 300g pork mince; a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped ginger; 2 cloves, finely chopped garlic; 2, finely chopped spring onions; 1 tsp cornflour; 1 tsp caster sugar; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 28 square dumpling or wonton wrappers; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

20g dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves, finely chopped garlic
a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped ginger
ground to make 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
750ml chicken stock
5 tbsp (see notes below) chinkiang black vinegar
2 tsp soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp (see notes below) chiu chow chilli oil
a handful of leaves, to serve coriander

DUMPLINGS

300g pork mince
a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped ginger
2 cloves, finely chopped garlic
2, finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
28 square dumpling or wonton wrappers
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Method

step 1
To make the dumplings, tip the mince, ginger, garlic, spring onions, cornflour, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix really well. Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of a dumpling wrapper, then brush the outside of the wrapper with a little water. Bring the corners together, ensuring the wrapper is tight around the filling.
step 2
For the broth, put the dried shiitakes into a small bowl and cover with just-boiled water.
step 3
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the garlic, ginger and sichuan pepper until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock along with 4 tbsp of the black vinegar, the sugar and chilli oil, as well as the mushrooms and their liquid. Simmer gently for 20 minutes.
step 4
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and blanch the dumplings for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain really well and toss with 1 tbsp of sesame oil to stop them from sticking, then spoon into 4 bowls. Ladle in the broth, add a little more vinegar, and top with a few coriander leaves to serve.