A bold chifa classic built on contrast. Freshly fried wontons carry chicken, shrimp, roast pork, fruit, and vegetables beneath a glossy tamarind sauce that lands both sweet and tangy. Between the first crunch and the sauce left clinging to the plate, pretending one serving is enough becomes rather difficult.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Finely chop part of the scallions. Mix the ground pork with the scallions, part of the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, cornstarch, black pepper, and salt. Work the mixture for 2 minutes, until it looks sticky, cohesive, and able to hold together on a spoon.
Divide the wonton wrappers to make about 20 wontons. Place a small amount of filling in the center of each wrapper, brush the edges with the remaining egg, fold into a triangle, and bring the two bottom corners together. Seal firmly and avoid trapping large air pockets so the wontons do not burst during frying.
Heat almost all of the vegetable oil to 170 to 175°C / 338 to 347°F. Fry the wontons in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning until evenly golden, crisp, and cooked through; open one from the first batch to confirm the pork has no pink areas. Drain on paper towels and keep uncovered so they stay crisp.
Simmer the tamarind with the water for 5 to 6 minutes, until the pulp softens. Press it through a strainer to recover the liquid, discarding seeds and fibers. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, another portion of the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Simmer gently for 3 minutes.
Mix another portion of the cornstarch with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce and return it to the saucepan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is glossy and fluid while still coating the spoon. Turn off the heat and keep warm; it will thicken slightly as it sits.
Cut the chicken breast into thin slices or small cubes and mix it with the remaining garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, five-spice powder, black pepper, and salt. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the wok and stir-fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned with no pink areas in the center. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for another 60 to 90 seconds, just until opaque and firm. Remove everything from the wok.
Cut the bell pepper, trim the snow peas, cut the pineapple and canned peaches into pieces, and slice the remaining scallions into short lengths. With the wok very hot, stir-fry the snow peas, bell pepper, and scallions for 1½ minutes, until they remain bright and crisp. Add the char siu, pineapple, and peaches, return the chicken and shrimp, and pour in the sauce. Toss for 1 minute, just until everything is well coated, then finish with the remaining sesame oil. Arrange the wontons as the base and spoon the stir-fry over them immediately before eating. And that’s it—the first wonton that still cracks beneath the sauce explains exactly why this dish never goes unnoticed at a chifa table.
