WONTONS
About 35 wontons; 6 to 8 servings
Homemade wontons are fun and easy to prepare. Once assembled, they can be frozen for later use. When cooking wontons, keep the water at a low simmer to prevent them from opening.
Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped:
- 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, shrimp, peeled and deveined, or ground pork
Transfer to a bowl and add:
- 8 canned water chestnuts, minced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chili oil, to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Stir together in a small bowl to make an egg wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Have ready (but covered):
- 35 square wonton wrappers
Working in batches, lay out 10 wrappers, arranging them so that one point is facing you. Lightly brush each wrapper with egg wash. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wrapper, as shown. Fold the wonton in half by bringing the bottom corner up to meet the top corner, forming a triangle. Press the edges firmly to seal, squeezing all the air out. Then, bring the two outside points to meet at the center and press to seal. To cook, see Hearty Dumpling Soup or Fried Wontons. You may also freeze wontons as directed in About Stuffed Pasta.