Here at Matso’s, we’re all cheering hard for our mate Brendan Pang in the current season of MasterChef. This series is the toughest yet, with an All-Star lineup of past contestants coming together to battle it out!
One of those making a comeback, is dumpling king Brendan Pang. He first featured on MasterChef in series 10, but he’s back for All-Stars with his amazing array of Asian inspired flavours.
Matso’s caught up with Brendan late last year, at his Fremantle pop-up venue Bumplings. That day he shared with us his super tasty recipe for Spicy Pork Wontons. The full recipe is below – try it home and enjoy it with a Matso’s Ginger Beer by your side!
Brendan's Spicy Pork Wontons
Ingredients
300g pork mince
1 tbsp spring onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
½ tsp sesame oil
½ teaspoon caster sugar
1 tbsp corn flour
Pinch of white pepper
Wonton wrappers
Chilli Oil
1 cup peanut oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise (whole)
2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
¼ cup crushed chilli flakes
Pinch of salt
Spicy Sauce
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
¼ tsp five spice
½ cup of chilli oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
¼ cup hot cooking water from wontons
Method
- First, start with the wonton filling. Place pork mince, spring onion, ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, sesame oil, caster sugar, cornflour and white pepper in a bowl and mix until well combined.
- To assemble, place 1 wonton wrapper on a clean surface. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the centre. Brush edges with water. Fold wonton over to enclose filling and form a rectangle. Press edges together. Fold the corners of the rectangle up and around the filling and press to join. Repeat using remaining wrappers and pork mixture. Set aside covered with a damp tea towel until required.
- For the Szechuan Chilli Oil, place peanut oil, cinnamon, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the oil becomes fragrant (about 10 minutes). Increase heat to high and cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
- Place crushed chilli flakes and salt into a medium heatproof bowl. Carefully strain the oil through a fine sieve into this bowl and stir well. Set aside to infuse until required.
- Cook wontons in boiling water until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from water using a slotted spoon and place into a deep baking dish. Cover to keep warm.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and adjust seasoning as required.
- To serve, divide the sauce among four bowls, followed by wontons and chopped spring onion.
