Adora's Box: WONTONS

Saturday 27 November 2010

WONTONS

Wontons remind me of visits to Sibu, Sarawak, my husband's hometown in Malaysia. We go to the local coffee shop to eat it for breakfast every morning. It is not unusual for people to eat out for breakfast and with the variety of food available each morning, why not. Despite the wide choice, I still go for a steaming bowl of wonton soup each time.

The broth is proper, long simmered pork broth. The wonton skin is very thin and silky with only a scant amount of filling. Despite the hot weather, it still is comforting to have the soup first thing in the morning.

It is nice to make wonton soup here in London, especially when the weather's cold. Proper broth is a must, otherwise it just won't taste right. I boil pork and chicken bones, add onions, carrots, spring onions and a splash of Chinese wine and simmer it for hours, resulting in a rich, full flavoured broth.

I always look forward to making and eating wonton soup. My family loves it too and always makes their pleasure known upon hearing that I have it a-brewing. I almost didn't have enough wontons to take photos of. They kept disappearing...and I was the only one in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

500 gms. minced pork
150 gms. raw shelled prawns, cut up into pea sized pieces
1/4 c. chopped up spring onions
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsps. sesame oil
1 tbsp. sherry or Chinese wine
1 tbsp. corn flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1 tsp. chicken powder or just add another tsp. of light soy sauce
1 pack of wonton wrappers

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the wrappers, very well in a mixing bowl.

Separate the wonton wrappers and put a scant teaspoonful of filling in the middle of each one. Bring the four corners together and sqeeze to encase the filling. Don't overfill the wontons as they would only be cooked briefly so the wrappers don't overcook.

These wontons may be boiled if serving as soup or fried. The wrapped uncooked wontons may also be frozen raw then cooked from frozen.

To serve with soup, drop the wontons in plenty of boiling water, then lower the heat to a simmer. They don't take long to cook. When the wrapper around the filling turns wrinkly, they are done. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon. To serve, put a few wontons in a bowl, then ladle the broth over them. Top with blanched Chinese leaf and spring onion rounds.

If frying, the same wontons may be used or just smear a tiny amount in one corner and fold over. Fry in medium hot oil until golden.

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