Chaoshou + AAPI Heritage Month 

Greetings, Friends of The Mala Market!

If you've ever slurped down Chengdu-style bowls of mouthwatering hand-folded chaoshou in red oil and wondered how to duplicate them at home, then this recipe—which Kathy spent weeks perfecting under the watchful eye of Mala Mama—is for you. 

Trying to recreate simple, unassuming chaoshou, or Sichuan-style wontons, on your own is a classic example of how you can have all the right ingredients for something and still end up far from the beloved original. If you want authentic texture + hometown flavor, we promise you, traditional techniques are key.

Kathy's Sichuan chaoshou recipe walks you through every step of the humble kitchen magic passed down through generations of master homemakers and street hawkers. The surprise here is that you don't even need to make the wonton wrappers from scratch (most Sichuan home cooks do not), because the secret is in the filling and the sauce. These juicy, aromatic chaoshou float in a hongyou (red-oil) dressing that includes her family's Sichuan chili oil. You'll also want that chili oil for her mainstay daikon-carrot salad (see below).

Perhaps you can make both dishes and reflect, as I will, on how lucky we all are to have people whose ancestors came up with this incredible food as our fellow Americans. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. I kind of feel like every month is Asian American Heritage month in our house, because we are always celebrating the fact that Fongchong is in our family while also helping her maintain strong and active ties to China. But the official nod is more important than ever in a year when we have to worry about her safety amid rampant anti-Asian hate. 

We know many of you are also worried for family and friends. In fact, one of our own in the Chinese-cooking community was a victim, as San Francisco's beloved Wok Shop was recently vandalized. Please keep reading to find out more about how you can help the Wok Shop and SF Chinatown stay strong and safe.   

🌶Taylor & Fongchong 🌶
 

P.S. New in stock is our first-ever Chinese sweet! Straight out of Xinjiang, our large, red, sweet jujubes are a treat. Read more about them below.