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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Homemade Wontons

wonton

Every once in a while, I am spurred into a wonton making frenzy. I will be overcome with cravings for this little bite-sized package, its slippery smooth golden sheath housing the tiniest compact pillow of pork mince within.

On a quiet afternoon I will set myself up in front of the television, calmly transforming a giant bowl of seasoned pork mince and a skyscraper of wrappers, into my own small nation of demure devotees.

I always make far too many wontons than I could possibly consume. Those that don’t make it into my cavernous bowl of noodle soup--sweetened with clear chicken stock and packed with thin egg noodles and nourishing Chinese green veg--will be frozen for easy dinner or snacking options.

wonton mein

Wontons
Seasoning the pork mince for wontons is no exact science. I never measure anything so the following recipe is only a loose interpretation of what I usually do.

Ingredients:
500g pork mince
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped green onions (shallots)
2 Tbs dark soy sauce
1.5 Tbs dry sherry
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper

Optional extras:
Fresh prawns, chopped
Water chestnuts, finely diced
Chinese mushrooms, chopped


1 packet of wonton wrappers
Beaten egg for sealing


Method:
Mix filling ingredients until well combined. Place half a teaspoon of mixture towards one corner of a wonton wrapper. Brush two edges of the square with beaten egg and fold in half to form a triangle, eliminating as much air as possible.

Bring together the two bottom edges of your triangle, twisting one corner over before sealing them together with the egg mixture.

Cook the wontons in batches of six in a large pot of rapidly boiling water. They will float to the surface when cooked. Serve with sweetened clear chicken broth, Chinese egg noodles (mein) and a handful of wilted Asian vegetables.

Freezing: Place wontons in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer until firm. Once frozen they can be combined in a zip lock bag or airtight container.

Wontons can also be deep-fried from frozen.

wontons

More GrabYourFork recipes:
Banh xeo Vietnamese crispy pancake
Bo thai chanh Vietnamese beef salad
Chicken rice paper rolls
Green mango salad
11 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (AugustusGloop) on 8/15/2006 11:24:00 pm


11 Comments:

  • At 8/15/2006 11:56 pm, Blogger cin said…

    Wonton Frenzy! Yes, I feel you! I normally use chicken - do you think the sherry would work as well with chicken? I normally use some chinese rice wine.

     
  • At 8/16/2006 8:42 am, Blogger PiCkLeS said…

    wow you wrap your ones so nicely...mine are so dodgey! If i took a photo of mine people would think 'i don't think that looks very appealing'.

     
  • At 8/16/2006 10:23 am, Blogger Veruca Salt said…

    Great photo. The wontons look soo good.

    You didn't mention your hand clapping technique.

     
  • At 8/16/2006 3:25 pm, Blogger Anastasia said…

    oh so good!!! thanks for the recipe
    I can never find wonton wrappers though
    any suggestions where to get them?

     
  • At 8/16/2006 4:08 pm, Blogger Reb said…

    yum yum yum - they're little artworks, every one! I bet they taste as good as they look.

     
  • At 8/16/2006 6:55 pm, Blogger jismgor said…

    it'll be great if you post how you fold them that well!

    i usually just have a peice of filling on a sheet, and slap another sheet on top at a slant - that way i get super slippery wontons.

    and no surf and turf?

     
  • At 8/16/2006 10:31 pm, Blogger Helen (AugustusGloop) said…

    Hi Cin - I often substitute chinese rice wine for sherry (and vice versa) in recipes so it should be fine. I've never made chicken wonton. I think I love the fattiness of pork too much =)

    Hi Pickles - Nah, that's what dof is for! Plus I did specifically pick out the neater ones for the fashion shoot - lol. The trick is not to use too much mixture, otherwise they bulge and look all kinds of gross.

    Hi Veruca - Thanks. It was frustrating having to stop halfway for photos though, and I did end up flour scattered all over my camera (oops!).

    lol. That's mum's technique!

    Hi AnastasiaC - You'll always be able to get them from the fridge at an Asian grocery or supermarket. Try Chinatown, Campsie, Bankstown, Cabramatta or Marrickville if you don't know of any.

    Hi Reb - Thanks but I still started halfway by buying the pastry! lol. They were pretty tasty, but I think all homemade wontons would be tasty.

    Hi jismgor - The trick is not to overfill your wonton with mince. Makes it much easier to be neater with the sealing and twisting.

     
  • At 8/18/2006 3:46 pm, Blogger G said…

    gorgeous as always.

    I just updated my links on my blog and added your fine site.


    and you are right, don't overfill or they never come out right.

     
  • At 8/18/2006 6:57 pm, Blogger Helen (AugustusGloop) said…

    Hi Gabriella - Thanks. You've reminded me I need to update mine as well! =)

     
  • At 9/12/2006 10:25 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I finally got around to making some of these last week, and although they didn't look anywhere near as nice as yours they were so tasty, especially with some of my mum's delicious XO sauce :). Thanks for the inspiration!

     
  • At 9/14/2006 9:59 pm, Blogger Helen (AugustusGloop) said…

    Hi Leanne - Wontons with XO sauce sound fabulous. Must remember that for next time!

     

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