Ingredients
300 g (about 10 oz) water-soaked sea cucumber, 50 g (about 1.75 oz) each of fatty ground pork and minced water chestnuts, 25 g (about 0.9 oz) each of winter bamboo shoots and mushrooms, 20 wonton wrappers, 250 g (about 1 cup) plain broth.
Seasonings
3 g salt, 20 g cooking wine, 0.5 g MSG, 60 g sugar, 40 g vinegar, 10 g each of white pepper, ginger, scallion, and garlic, 25 g lard, 250 g blended oil, 10 g potato starch, 15 g pickled chili peppers.
Instructions
1. Finely mince the pork belly and mix with minced water chestnuts, salt, white pepper, cooking wine, and MSG to form a filling. Use wonton wrappers to wrap the filling into boat-shaped wontons and set aside.
2. Clean and slice the water-soaked sea cucumber, slice the winter bamboo shoots and mushrooms, remove seeds from pickled chili peppers and cut into diamond shapes; first blanch the sea cucumber in plain broth until cooked through, then drain; heat lard in a wok, add scallion, ginger, garlic, and pickled chili peppers, stir-fry until fragrant, then add winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and sea cucumber; combine salt, cooking wine, sugar, and vinegar to create a lychee-flavored sauce, add an appropriate amount of broth, pour into the wok, and simmer over low heat until the flavors meld, then thicken with a light cornstarch slurry.
3. In a separate pot, heat the blended oil to 350°F (180°C), then deep-fry the wontons until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove and arrange them on a serving plate, then drizzle with a small amount of hot oil. Immediately pour the braised sea cucumber and its sauce over the crispy wontons (the "ringing bells"), and serve while it sizzles. This dish is served with an audible sizzle, adding to the dining experience—the sea cucumber is tender and soft, the wontons are crispy and crunchy, with a sweet and sour flavor.