By Tracey
Fried Pork and Shrimp Wontons
from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan
(Note: you can assemble the wontons ahead of time and freeze them, just leaving the frying to do at the last minute. I spread mine in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze – once frozen, I transfer to a resealable plastic bag.)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into small pieces
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 50 wonton wrappers
- canola oil for frying
Directions:
Add the pork, shrimp, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir to combine and evenly distribute.
Cover the wonton wrappers with a damp towel so they don’t dry out as you fill and assemble them. Set up a platter for the assembled wontons and have a second damp towel ready to cover them (again, you don’t want them to dry out). Fill a small bowl with water – you’ll use this to seal the wrappers.
To assemble: Place a wonton wrapper on your work surface, with a corner edge pointing upward. Moisten the tip of your finger in the water and brush the edges of the wonton wrapper. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling to the center of the wrapper, then fold the bottom corner up and over the filling to meet the top corner. Press the edges to seal, pressing out as much air as you can.
Moisten your fingertip again, and brush the bottom 2 corners of the triangle. Fold the corners into the center so they overlap one another.
Transfer the wonton to the platter you set up earlier, and cover with the damp towel. Before you proceed to assemble all of the wontons, get the oil heating. Add about 3 cups of oil to the bottom of a Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Heat the oil to 350 F while you assemble the wontons with the remaining filling and wrappers.
When the oil is ready, drop about 6 wontons at a time into the pan and fry for 4 minutes, turning them a few times to brown them evenly on both sides. Remove with a spider strainer and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350 F before adding a new batch of wontons to the pan. Serve the wontons with your favorite dipping sauce.
Makes about 50 wontons.
