Chao Shou

Chao Shou are Sichuan-style wontons, larger and thicker-skinned than the Cantonese wontons found in the south. The filling is typically seasoned pork with ginger, scallions, and a touch of soy sauce. What makes Chongqing Chao Shou special is the sauce: a generous pool of chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and sugar, topped with a sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. The wontons are boiled until perfectly tender, then served in — not soup, but the spicy sauce itself. Each wonton arrives at your table glistening with chili oil, carrying the full spectrum of Sichuan flavors: numbing, spicy, savory, and slightly sweet. There are two main styles: 'dry' (干拌) where the sauce coats the wontons without extra liquid, and 'soup' (汤) where they float in a spicy broth. The dry style is more popular in Chongqing.

📖 History

Chao Shou originated in Sichuan province and has been a staple of Chongqing street food for over a century. The name 'chao shou' literally means 'folded arms', referring to the way the wonton wrapper is folded — the two corners cross over each other like crossed arms. The dish was traditionally sold by night vendors carrying a pole with a pot of boiling water on one end and prepared wontons on the other. The red oil version became the standard in Chongqing, while the clear broth version is more common in Chengdu.