Redditors Have One Complaint Over Costco's Shrimp Wontons
For anyone who hasn't enjoyed the mouth-numbing spice of a Szechuan wonton, Szechuan House-Lutherville explains that these dumplings originated in the Sichuan province of southwestern China, known for its spicy Szechuan peppercorns. Typically a street food found at open air vendors, kiosks, or food trucks, they're now beloved all over the world and served at countless restaurants.
Despite their widespread availability, wontons tend to attract a lot of attention on social media. When Aldi put out mini Korean-style wontons for shoppers to take home and cook themselves, for example, it created quite a stir on Instagram. Over on Reddit, one person managed to find some more mini wontons at Costco, prompting a slew of positive comments and serving suggestions from fans of the heat-and-eat food.
Well, there's another Costco wonton in town, and it comes from the Royal Asia brand. While many customers said they enjoy these as much as they did the miniature ones, there's one complaint that cropped up again and again among Redditors.
A bland wonton does not deserve to bear the Szechuan name
Szechuan dishes are among the spiciest foods in the world, namely due to the use of Szechuan peppercorns. A Szechuan spicy beef recipe, for example, gets its trademark tingly heat from just a touch of the special ingredient. However, recipe developer Susan Olayinka points out that "most westernized versions [of the beef] do not include these," presumably due to flavor preferences outside of Sichuan.
However, it seems to be the exclusion of ample Szechuan peppercorns in Costco's shrimp wontons that is causing a problem for the people of Reddit. On a thread about the Royal Asia shrimp wontons with Szechuan sauce, one commenter said, "They are good but i wish they were spicier." Another echoed this thought, saying, "Ok-ish. Sauce is more sweet than spicy." Yet a third joined the chorus of complaints about the blandness: "These were tasty, but I agree that they were kind pricey and not spicy at all."
For anyone in a wonton frame of mind, there was one commenter who pointed out that you can "adjust the spice levels to your taste" by using homemade chili oil in addition to Costco's sauce, providing a more authentic Szechuan experience.