Wontons Two Ways

One of the things I miss about living in a big city are the culinary discoveries that can be made while walking around town. In Seattle's International District, a dense urban neighborhood shaped by past and present influxes of Pacific Rim immigrants, I had a block-by-block map of my favorite restaurants. There were spicy Sichuan hot pots, Hong Kong style dim sum, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, heavenly Taiwanese xiao long bao, and of course sushi at the landmark Maneki.

It was with memories of this vibrant part of the Emerald City that I found myself making wontons this week. Stuffed with ginger and scallion-laced meat, these little pockets are brimming with flavor which can be served either as an appetizer with a zesty dipping sauce, or as a lovely soup floating in a light broth.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork or chicken

½ cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 package wonton wrappers

Option 1 for soup serving:

4 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil

½ white onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 serrano chili sliced

Fresh cilantro

Option 2 for sauce serving:

5 tablespoons Asian chili sauce, such as sambal

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Chopped green onion

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine ground meat, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, sugar, and salt. Mix well. Set aside and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Prepare a sheet pan with a light dusting of cornstarch or line it with parchment paper.

To assemble wontons, place one teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Use your finger to lightly dampen all the edges with water. First, fold in half, making a rectangle. Press out any extra air pockets, and firmly seal the edges. Hold rectangle in hands with the folded edge towards you. Dampen one corner of folded edge with water, then bring the two corners together and seal. The top edge (seam side) should fold over as you form the wonton, making a shape like a bonnet. As you go, arrange wontons on the prepared sheet pan, and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.

When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to keep water at a gentle boil. Cook wontons in batches, stirring water as you add them to prevent them from sticking to bottom of pan. Cook for about 5 minutes. Wontons will float to the top and turn plump. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to remove cooked wontons from the water and place in a bowl with a little drizzle of oil and cover with a lid to keep warm. Simply serve hot boiled dumplings with a little soy sauce for dipping or try one of the options below.

Option 1:

Heat oil in a heavy soup pot. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until tender and starting to turn translucent. Add soy sauce and vinegar with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside hot soup while you start boiling the wontons as described above. Add sliced chili pepper just before serving. Place 3 to 5 boiled wontons in each serving bowl. Then ladle hot soup over top and garnish with cilantro and green onion.

Option 2:

While the wontons are boiling make sauce. Mix chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and sesame oil together in a small bow. Add a spoonful of the hot wonton cooking water and stir to combine. Place 3 to five cooked wontons in shallow serving dishes. Pour a little sauce over the tops, and garnish with green onion.

Notes: Wonton wrappers can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores, often near the tofu. These wontons can also be made with ground turkey. Or try a mixture of pork and chicken. Any leftover filling can be browned and added to the soup base for serving. These wontons could also be deep-fried. Enjoy!