Lynn's Mom Wonton

 

This is an original recipe from Lynn’s Mom.  You can fold the wontons in many ways, and you can either boil, steam or fry them.  These freeze well so make many of them!

Moving forward, we chatted about making dumplings next week.  I’ve attached recipes for gyoza which usually use round dumpling wrappers and wonton which usually use square wrappers.  Feel free to use whatever type of ground meat (or chopped up tofu) to suit your preferences.  I hope there’s a suitable gluton-free wrapper for those who prefer that; I saw larger egg wraps at the supermarket last week.

yield: 190

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Ingredients:

2 packages “Double Happiness” brand wonton wrappers (square)

3 lb. ground pork (or ground chicken or ground beef)

¾ to 1 lb. raw shrimp, shelled and cut into small pieces

4 green onions, finely chopped

4 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated in water and chopped finely

2-3 pieces cloud ear, rehydrated in water and chopped finely(optional)

8 to 10 water chestnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Soya sauce to taste

Sesame oil, a drizzle

Method:

Set wrappers aside with a small bowl of water (for sealing the wonton) and a lined baking tray for storing the finished wonton.

Typically, we would prepare for wonton making day by rehydrating the shitake mushrooms and cloud ear, and defrosting the shrimp in the fridge the evening prior to wrapping day.  If we did not buy pre-ground pork, we would chop up the meat by hand using a cleaver.

Mix the pork/meat with all of the other ingredients in a large bowl.  Sometimes, we would add ¼ cup of water to the mixture and mix well; amazingly, the water gets soaked up and this makes the filling more moist.

Depending on the brand and size of wrapper that you use, put one to two teaspoons of filling into each wrapper; wrap and dab a bit of water on the wrapper to seal.  Feel free to experiment and try different wonton wrapping styles.

To boil:

Bring large pot of water to a boil.  Put 6-8 wonton into the water and bring to another boil.  When the dumplings float, they are cooked.  (You can also add some fresh Chinese greens to the pot and wilt the greens before the wonton ar cooked.)

Serve with hot chicken or pork broth and add a sprinkle of green onions + a few drops of soya sauce and/or sesame oil on top.  

To steam:

Put wonton on a heat-proof dish or bamboo tray in a large pot/wok.  Bring water to a boil, cover with lid and steam on high heat for approximately 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your wonton.  Enjoy with a sauce made of soya sauce, chili pepper sauce, and sesame oil.

To fry:

Make your wonton with a small amount of filling so they will cook quickly.  Deep fry on medium-high heat.  

Enjoy!