Shrimp & Pork Wontons
- camissonia
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Wontons are not hard to make but are slightly labor intensive because they are on the small side and you have to make so many of them (2 lbs. of filling will yield 50-60 wontons, which is about the number of wrappers you'll get in a typical package of wonton wrappers). If you have an hour or more to spare though, it's totally worth the effort. Come to think of it, that's probably why my mom decided to have kids. I have 'fond' memories of my sis and I back in the day having oodles of fun doing kitchen grunt work, such as destringing snow peas or green beans, cleaning & trimming veggies like water convolvulus (Kong Hsin Tsai) and sweet potato leaves, making huge quantities of pork & cabbage dumplings, or rolling out a gazillion mochi balls for a sweet dessert soup.
Nowadays, I'm a pet parent only and have no manually dexterous human children to use as conscripted labor for cranking out hand-made wontons. So, I'm obliged to make these all by meself. But it can actually be fun and a great way to destress, especially with a generous glass of Margarita on the side whilst watching a riveting K-drama on the telly!
This recipe for wontons is pretty standard but fool proof: ground pork, a beaten egg as binder, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, rice wine, chopped scallions & a tiny bit of ginger. It's the basis for all of my wonton recipes, including wonton soup and Spicy Szechuan Wontons (Hong Yiu Chao Shou).
1
Searing the Beef
Sear beef fillets on high heat for 2 minutes per side to form a golden crust. Let it cool before proceeding to keep the beef tender.
2
Mushroom Duxelles
Cook the mushrooms until all moisture evaporates to prevent soggy pastry. Aim for a thick, paste-like consistency.
3
Puff Pastry Handling
Keep the puff pastry cold to avoid softness. Chill if it becomes too soft, and score the top lightly without cutting through.
Notes
1
Combine all ingredients (except for the wrappers, of course) in a medium bowl. Mix together first by hand to get the ingredients incorporated, then, use a large spoon or fork and stir vigorously in one direction until the pork mixture is very well blended.
2
Set up a wonton wrapping station with the following on hand: medium or large chopping board, a small bowl of water, the dumpling wrappers, bowl of pork filling, and a teaspoon for measuring out the pork filling.
3
Wrap the wontons as illustrated below and place them in a single layer on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
4
For a fancier version.
5
If not using right away, place the wontons on the baking sheet in the freezer. If the baking sheet doesn't fit in the freezer, place the wontons (single layer) onto several smaller trays or racks. Freeze for 30 minutes until firm, then place the wontons into Ziploc-type bags and freeze for later use. I typically put 20 wontons into each bag.
6
These wontons can be used in soups or boiled and served with a savory sauce (e.g., Spicy Szechuan Wontons "Hong Yiu Chao Shou").
Instructions
1 lb ground pork
1 lb shelled & deveined shrimp finely chopped
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
4 scallions finely chopped
2 tsp finely minced ginger
1 package wonton wrappers (about 55-60 wrappers per pkg)
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Shrimp & Pork Wontons
Prep Time
30 min
Cooking Time
20 min
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
50 min
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