When it comes to wontons, you’ll find many different variations on the same theme. Most have more wrapper than filling. I like to stuff as much filling inside as possible! Seasoning can be tricky as you won’t want to taste the raw mix. However, once all the ingredients have been mixed, and it’s rested for an hour in the fridge, what you can do is just wrap up one dumpling, cook it and taste it. If seasoning needs to be adjusted, now’s the time.

Ingredients:

1 package of square wonton wrappers (for boiling, not frying)

200 grams fairly lean pork

200 grams shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped

a few drops of sesame oil

small pinch of salt

1 clove of garlic

pinch white pepper

1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash

Method:

1. Mince the pork with a cleaver. Make sure it’s really well minced. A fairly lean cut is best. A little fat is fine, but not too much.

2. Chop the shrimp roughly. It should be in pea sized chunks.

3. Mix the pork and shrimp in a mixing bowl.

4. Using a pestle and mortar, smash the coriander root, garlic and salt together into a paste.

5. Mix this paste with the pork and shrimp, and then add all the other ingredients except the egg.

6. Mix it all together well.

7. Cover with cling film and rest it in the fridge for an hour or so.

8. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork.

9. On a large plate, lay out a few wonton wrappers.

10. Using a teaspoon, scoop out some of the filling and place it in the middle of a wrapper.

11. Dip your finger into the egg wash and wipe a little egg on 2 adjacent sides of the wrapper.

12. Fold that corner and the non-eggy corner together so you’re folding the wrapper diagonally. Starting at one end, squeeze the edges together. Work your way around until you’ve completely sealed the filling inside, without trapping any air. You’ll quickly learn how much filling you can fit inside and still be able to close the dumpling completely.

13. Place the filled dumplings on a dry plate to await cooking.

14. Repeat steps 10 through 13 until all the filling has been used.

15. They should be filled as close to cooking time as possible as the uncooked dumplings don’t last well in or out of the fridge.

16. To cook them, bring a pan of water to the boil.

17. Place all the dumplings into the water and simmer gently for 2 and a half to 3 minutes. Generally, once they float, give them another minute and then remove with a slotted spoon. If you over-cook them they will fall apart and go soggy.

18. Use them immediately for wonton/noodle soup, or place on a plate with a very, very light drizzle of veggie oil (to prevent them sticking to each other), to await use in a few minutes time, if the soup isn’t ready yet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *