Spicy Wonton Noodle Bowl

This spicy wonton noodle bowl is savory, nutty, and coated in a rich sesame chili sauce with just enough heat to keep you coming back for more. It's everything you love about spicy wontons, deconstructed into an easy, slurp-worthy noodle bowl.

Recipe

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Spicy Wonton Noodle Bowl

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Asian noodles, pork

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Spicy sesame chili sauce

• ¼ cup Chinese sesame paste
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons black vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn

Wonton pork

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 3 scallions whites and greens separated, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon white pepper

Wonton wrapper noodles

• 12 ounces wonton wrappers cut into 1-inch wide strips
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Make the sauce. Whisk together sesame paste, warm water, soy sauce, black vinegar, chili oil, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and Sichuan peppercorn in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned and starting to crisp on the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Push the pork to one side and add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites to the pan. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir everything together. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Toss to combine and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
• Cook the wonton wrapper noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Separate the wonton wrapper strips so they don't stick together. Drop them into the boiling water and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, just until tender and silky. Don't overcook them or they'll become gummy. Drain well and toss immediately with a small drizzle of oil to prevent sticking.
• Assemble the bowls. Spoon a few tablespoons of the spicy sesame chili sauce into the bottom of each bowl. Add the wonton wrapper noodles on top and toss to coat, adding more sauce as needed. Top with the seasoned pork, scallion greens, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Drizzle with extra sauce and serve immediately.

Notes

The sesame paste amount might need adjusting depending on what brand you use. Chinese sesame paste tends to be more intensely nutty and slightly bitter compared to tahini, so if you go with tahini, you might want to bump it up to ⅓ cup.

 

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make sauce

One of the best parts about this spicy wonton noodle bowl is how quickly it comes together. For instance, the sauce comes together in minutes and doesn't require any cooking.

This spicy sesame sauce is similar to my chicken and kabocha squash wontons recipe, with a sesame twist. Whisk together Chinese sesame paste, soy sauce, chili oil, black vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame oil, salt, and ground Sichuan peppercorn until smooth.

The warm water is key here because sesame paste is very thick straight out of the jar and needs to be loosened up so it can coat the noodles evenly. If the sauce still feels too thick after whisking, add a little more warm water, one teaspoon at a time, until you get a pourable consistency.

You're looking for something similar to a thin peanut sauce.

Black vinegar is an aged Chinese vinegar with a mellow, slightly sweet flavor. It's often labeled as Chinkiang vinegar in stores. If you can't find it, rice vinegar will work, but the flavor will be brighter and less complex.

Step 2: Cook pork

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground pork, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. The goal is to get the pork nicely browned and a little crispy on the edges, which takes about 5 to 6 minutes.

Resist the urge to stir it too often. Letting the pork sit undisturbed for a bit is what gives you those caramelized, crispy bits.

Once the pork is browned, push it to one side of the pan and add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites to the cleared space. This lets the aromatics bloom in the hot oil without burning.

After about 30 seconds, stir everything together and add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Toss to combine and cook for another minute, then remove from the heat.

Set aside the scallion greens for topping the bowls later.

Step 3: Cook noodles

Now that the pork and sauce are done, it's time to move on to the wonton wrappers. Cut the wonton wrappers into 1-inch wide strips and separate them before they go into the pot so they don't clump together.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and drop the strips in. They only need 60 to 90 seconds, so keep a close eye on them. You want them tender and silky, not gummy and falling apart.

As soon as they're done, drain them well and toss with a small drizzle of oil to prevent sticking.

Wonton wrappers are thinner and more delicate than dumpling wrappers, which makes them ideal for this recipe since they cook quickly and have a texture similar to fresh hand-cut noodles.

Step 4: Putting it all together

To assemble the spicy wonton noodle bowls, start by spooning a few tablespoons of the spicy sesame chili sauce into the bottom of each bowl.

Add the warm wonton wrapper noodles on top and toss them in the sauce until they're evenly coated. If the noodles look dry, add a little more sauce.

Pile the seasoned pork on top, then finish with scallion greens, cilantro, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle with extra sauce if you want and serve immediately. These noodles are best eaten right away since the wonton wrappers will soften the longer they sit.

Every bite of this spicy wonton noodle bowl is layered with flavor. The sesame chili sauce is nutty and savory with a warm, lingering heat from the chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn. The pork is aromatic and slightly crispy, seasoned with all the ginger, garlic, and Shaoxing wine you'd expect from a traditional wonton filling. And the wonton wrapper noodles are silky and tender, soaking up every bit of that sauce.

You really can't tell that this dish only took 30 minutes to make because it tastes like something that simmered and developed for hours!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can cook the pork and prepare the sauce ahead of time.
• Store: Keep leftover sauce and pork in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More Chinese noodle recipes

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