Spicy Szechuan sauce help

[dans]

There is a Sichuan place near me that has wontons in a spicy Sichuan sauce. It is very orange, slightly sweet, with a dark earthy flavor. No garlic that I can detect.

 

I thought it was a combo of Chili oil and brown sugar. I'll have o go there again and check it out. 

[SusieQ]

On 8/5/2019 at 11:25 PM, SusieQ said:

OMG, that stuff is so good. I think I'm addicted to it. 

No, I got it wrong, somehow I saw the photo and thought I was seeing something else.   THIS is what I thought I was looking at and THIS is what I'm addicted to:

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, SusieQ said:

No, I got it wrong, somehow I saw the photo and thought I was seeing something else.   THIS is what I thought I was looking at and THIS is what I'm addicted to:

 

Sadly the ingredient list put me off.

 

[SusieQ]

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Sadly the ingredient list put me off.

 

 

Hi, I'm curious: which ingredients?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 minutes ago, SusieQ said:

 

Hi, I'm curious: which ingredients?

 

Monosodium glutamate.  And then what is prickly ash powder as opposed to Szechuan peppercorn?

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Monosodium glutamate.  And then what is prickly ash powder as opposed to Szechuan peppercorn?

 

 

 

There is nothing wrong with monosodium glutamate and prickly ash is a well-recognised alternative name for Sichuan peppercorn and a lot more transparant than  E621 or  HS code 29224220 as used in many non-Chinese products, but those never seem to bother so-called MSG intolerants.

 

But this has been discussed to death on other topics here.

Edited August 8, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[tikidoc]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Szechuan book is on pre-order. I got some of the crunchy sauce - yummy and some similarities but chunkier and less sweet than what we had in the restaurant. I’m going to play with some of the recipes posted. I may be wrong about the presence of Szechuan pepper but if it was there is was minor compared to the chilis. I didn’t get the numbing sensation. But I may add a little when I experiment. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by tikidoc (log)

[MelissaH]

On 8/5/2019 at 8:55 PM, KennethT said:

I've used this recipe before, and it's great.  I always have a supply on hand in the refrigerator...

https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-make-chili-oil/

 

Another vote for the Woks of Life chili oil. We made a jar to use in their recipe for spicy lamb noodles like the ones from Xian Famous Foods, but find ourselves using it in so many other things now that we have it on hand.

 

On 8/7/2019 at 2:35 AM, liuzhou said:

To be honest, I think the OP is going to have to contact the restaurant and ask. There are so many chilli sauces in Chinese cuisine and many places make their own. Literally thousands. We could guess forever, but...haystacks and needles.

 

That was going to be my suggestion. Don't hesitate to let them know that you're writing from far away!

[Katie Meadow]

If I read the OP correctly, you are talking about a sauce that either the wontons sit in or one that is used for dipping. That sauce, to my knowledge, would be more complex than a simple chile oil, which would often be too hot on its own. Typical sauces would include chile oil or hot oil mixture with some of the following: various types of soy and vinegar, garlic and  ginger along with some sichuan pepper.

 

Fuchsia Dunlop has a dipping sauce for wontons which consists of:  100 ml dark soy, 200 ml water, 6 T brown sugar, crushed ginger,1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 a star anise, 1/2 tsp of sichuan pepper and a third of a stick of cinnamon. All ingredients simmered on low heat for 20 minutes. It seems on the sweet side to me, and not something I would have guessed at, which maybe is what you are looking for. Strangely she doesn't suggest adding any red oil, which seems a little unusual for a wonton sauce, but the variations of regional cuisines are her forte, not mine, that's for sure. I agree that contacting the restaurant might yield some tips.

[Owtahear]

On ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 7:38 PM, SusieQ said:

No, I got it wrong, somehow I saw the photo and thought I was seeing something else.   THIS is what I thought I was looking at and THIS is what I'm addicted to:

This is absolutely the bomb!!!!   Everyone should have this jar in their fridge.  It is so good.

[ElsieD]

9 minutes ago, Owtahear said:

This is absolutely the bomb!!!!   Everyone should have this jar in their fridge.  It is so good.

 

I picked up a jar of this the other day for my husband.  It's half gone.