Din Tai Fung Spicy Wonton Sauce (Copycat) (VIDEO)

A Note on Vinegar

When you look up Din Tai Fung Spicy Wontons online, you’ll see many recipes that include Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar. However, I confirmed with multiple sources that the recipe does NOT have any vinegar of any sort. You can absolulely include vinegar if you want to (you should always make the recipe to your own preferences!) but if you want to recreate the recipe exactly like how the restaurant makes it, vinegar is not one of the ingredients.

My #1 Tip for This Recipe

The most important tip for this recipe is to use a five spice powder that includes Sichuan peppercorn powder. If you are using store bought five spice powder, you must check the ingredients and make sure it has Sichuan peppercorns. If it does not, you can simply add 1/4 tsp of Sichuan peppercorn powder. However, if you skip it, the Spicy Wontons Sauce will NOT taste the same as Din Tai Fung!

Din Tai Fung Spicy Wontons Sauce Ingredients

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!

• wontons – you can use homemade wontons (this is a family recipe and the BEST wontons) or store bought – up to you!
• Sichuan chili flakes – this is a key ingredient to this recipe
• white pepper – if you don’t have white pepper, you can use black pepper; howvever, if you enjoy cooking Asian food at home, I highly recomnend having white pepper in your pantry as the flavor profile is different from black pepper. It has a milder, earthier tone than black pepper and adds more flavor without the heat.
• five spice powder – see tip above – your five spice powder must include Sichuan peppercorns; if it doesn’t, add 1/4 tsp of Sichuan peppercorn powder.
• chili oil – you can use homemade Chinese chili oil (I am biased but my recipe is my favorite) or homemade chili crisp; I’ve also used store bought Lao Gan Ma “Spicy Chili Crisp” or “Fried Chili in Oil” and that worked great! After testing this recipe with many store bought versions, I found Lao Gan Ma to have the most similar flavor to the restaurant version.
• neutral oil – I recommend using avocado oil; canola or vegetable oil both work as well! Do not use olive oil or sesame oil.

1. Combine Spices

In a heatproof or ceramic bowl, add Sichuan chili flakes, grated garlic, white pepper, five spice powder, and sugar. This will be the base of your Spicy Wontons Sauce.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to check your five spice powder ingredients (if using store bought) and make sure it has Sichuan peppercorn powder. If it doesn’t, make sure to add 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder.

Once the oil has been poured into the spices, add the light soy sauce and hot water and mix well.

Cook the wontons in rapidly simmering water until they float, then drain completely and transfer them into the sauce. Mix well, garnish with scallions and enjoy your Spicy Wontons!