Chinese wontons, Darth Vadar style

Chinese New Year is coming up, so we’re sharing some traditional, yet simple recipes with you!

* Wontons are traditionally made with ground pork and shrimp. My mother doesn’t
eat pork and so whenever I can substitute out pork, I try to do so – this way Mom
can enjoy my cooking as I have enjoyed hers all my life.

1. 1.5 lbs. lean ground turkey
2. [optional: 6 uncooked shrimp, peeled deveined, chopped]
3. 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
4. 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
5. 1/3 cup green onions, finely chopped
6. ¼ cup napa cabbage, chopped
7. ¼ cup carrot, finely chopped
8. 1 8-oz. canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
9. 1 tsp. sesame oil
10. 1 tsp. quality salt (I’m currently fond of Hawaiiian Red Salt)
11. ¼ tsp. ground pepper
12. 1 egg, beaten
13. 2 packages square Wonton Wrappers
14. 2 Tb. soy sauce, 2 Tb. rice vinegar, garlic chili paste

Combine first 11 ingredients (set aside egg and Wonton wrappers) in mixing bowl.
And prepare to wrap!

Wontons can be prepared in a variety of ways. Most common in Chinese restaurants
are, of course, the fried Wonton and Wonton Noodle Soup.

Once folded, Wontons keep well in your freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze Wontons
on tray in the freezer. When fully frozen, transfer to a freezer storage bag.

Scoop 1/2 Tb of meat into the center of a wrapper.

Wipe egg yolk across two adjoining edges of the wrapper.  Then fold the wonton into a triangle.  If you’re feeling modern, you can stop here with the folding.

 

If you’re in a Star Wars kind of mood, you can continue on to the Queen Amidala or the Darth Vadar folds as depicted in the images below.

 

  

I am your father…

There are myriad ways to cook wontons.  In the photo below, I boiled them for 3 -4 minutes.

For more of a potsticker result, you can also brown these guys in a bit of vegetable oil.  Once browned, add chicken stock and simmer for 1 minute.  The chicken stock softens the wontons so that they’re still slightly crunchy, and oh so yummy!

For the dipping sauce, I prefer the following: 2 Tb. rice vinegar, 2 Tb. soy sauce, and 1 tsp. garlic chili paste (Sambal Oelek brand with the rooster on the label is my preferred chili).