I just loveee Wontons! I had them growing up in my dad’s restaurants; I’ve had some at Chinese Noodle-Style restaurants; and I’ve had it in Chinatown served with a side of piping hot peanut butter noodles! It wasn’t until I had kids, that I was inspired to make my own because I seldom go out to eat. Who knew it was so easy to make?! My version is a bit different from regular Chinese take-out restaurants that often use soy sauce, not fish sauce. All you need are wonton wrappers, ground pork (turkey works too), fish sauce and scallions (everything else is optional).
* 3/5/20- Updated with photos of the chili oil version and how to photos .
Picture Walk
Ingredients
Ground turkey or pork ( I use one package from Costco’s pack of 3)
3 tbsp fish sauce
1tsp chicken bouillon powder ( I use Maggi brand or replace with 1/2 tsp Maggie seasoning soy sauce or msg)
5 Scallion stalks minced
1-2 packs Hong Kong style wonton wrappers ( from Asian supermarket)
Steps
1- Thoroughly mix all ingredients above except for Wonton wrappers.
2- Wrap wontons. Put in 1 tsp of meat in the center and fold across diagonally to tuck one corner under the meat. I must’ve put about 1.5 tsp because I was in a hurry to finish making them. You should end up with a triangular shape with 3 sides (refer to photos above). Dampen one end with water or scrambled egg and press the two pointy corners together ( kind of like a C Shape). I’d say pretty much as long as it’s folded somehow and there are no inside contents sticking out, you are good to go. Super Diaries also has a great step by step photo on various ways wontons can be folded here.
3- Bring water to a boil and dump in wontons being careful not to overcrowd it. Allow the water to go back into a boil, until they all float on top and boil for another 3-5 minutes after. Add another 3-5 minutes of cooked from frozen (cut one open before taking them all out). Don’t overcook it because it can get gooey and fall apart. In a small soup pot, maybe do 12-15 pieces per batch. Scoop out into serving bowl.
*Note: If you let it sit too long in a regular bowl, they can fall apart and all get clumped together. Chose a way below to finish it off or just have them plain!
**Note: Uncooked wontons can be frozen single layer at a time or layered with parchment or plastic wrap paper in between. Of course mine are overcrowded as usually due to lack of time. Once frozen, it can be put into a ziplock for busy nights and a quick meal. Takes longer to boil when boiling frozen frozen.
Ways to eat them:
A-You can eat it plain the way it is.
B- Szechuan style with a drizzle of chili oil, a little soy sauce (start with 1 tsp) and scallions or make it kid friendly and use about 1/2 tsp sesame oil instead, with a little splash of soy sauce and minced scallions.
C-You can also turn it into a soup and after you fish the wontons out and add fish sauce and vinegar to taste (start with 1/2 tsp); and a drop of sesame oil; topped with optional white pepper to taste and minced scallions. I sometimes add to any leftover soup I have.
D- You can never go wrong with deep frying them! I like to deep fry cheese wontons (will be doing another post in that).
E- Upgrade your instant ramen and make it more filling by throwing in a few.
Don’t you just love how versatile and easy this wonton recipe is? What do you like to put in your wontons? Sometimes, I like to add minced shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts to the meat mixture to mimic what I get sometimes at Chinese Noodle Restaurants in Chinatown .
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