Saturday mornings growing up were very routine. My sisters and I didn’t have the luxury to lounge around and watch cartoons all morning. Instead, like many of our Chinese counterparts in San Francisco, we were sent to Chinese school. From 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for much of the school year, we were taught traditional Chinese and learned some literature and history along the way. There were tests, there was homework. It was not fun and games. We did this for 13 years. All of us graduated high school and were at the top of our classes.
After being dismissed from the ice dungeon that was supposed to be a school, we’d grab some lunch before heading home. My sisters and I had only a handful of lunch spots we liked to patronize. One of them was ABC, a Hong Kong-style diner on Jackson Street.
As routine as it was going to school on Saturdays, the items we ordered were just as predictable. Wonton noodle soup was one of my staples. With the wontons being so plump and served in a piping hot broth, sometimes I’d torture myself attempting to swirl one in my mouth to eat it in one bite. Hey, you gotta do whatever it takes if you’re hungry!
Unlike the monstrous wontons of yesteryears, I use smaller wrappers that I find at my local Asian supermarket so each wonton is bite size these days. I’m old now. There’s no reason for eating to be painful. Plus, smaller wontons means more opportunity to savor and enjoy the creations I’ve made!
If you like this Wonton recipe, give these a try:
Pork, Shrimp and Veggie Dumplings (豬肉蝦仁雜菜餃)
Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (鮮蝦韭菜餃)
Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Wontons (雲吞)
- Yield: Approximately 55 bite-sized wontons 1x
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
These are smaller wontons so you have more opportunities to savor and enjoy the creations you make!
Ingredients
SHRIMP
- 1/2 pound of shrimp, pat dry
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 pound of ground pork
- 1/2 cup of bamboo shoots, cut into short, thin matchsticks
- 1/8 cup of dried wood ear fungus, rehydrated, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- A few dashes of white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2-inch knob of ginger, grated
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated
- Wonton wrappers
Instructions
- Prep the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and mix in the baking soda and salt onto the shrimp. Let them sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before rinsing thoroughly, chopping and mixing the shrimp into the wonton filling.
- Assemble the filling. While the shrimp is getting treatment, combine all of the other ingredients (except for the wrappers) into a large mixing bowl. Add the shrimp when they’re ready. Mix, fold, whatever it takes so everything is thoroughly combined. It will feel wet and sticky and that’s okay. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight.
- Fold the wontons. In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of water. Wet one of your index fingers with water and dab it on the entire edge of a wrapper. Add a scoop of filling to the center of the wrapper. The simplest way to fold it into a wonton is by bringing the edges of the wrapper together and pinching near the edge to create something that looks like a little money bag.
- Place the wontons on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. Repeat until you run out of filling or wrappers. Keep the dumplings separated on the baking sheet so that they don’t stick to each other.
- Cook the dumplings. If you’re eating them immediately, cook them in a sufficient amount of boiling water so there’s room for all of the pieces to move around. Allow them to cook under a gentle boil for five minutes. Strain them from the boiling liquid, add them to a hot broth and serve.
- If you’re eating them later, freeze the baking sheet of wontons. Transfer the wontons to a storage medium once frozen. Cook them the same way as above. You don’t have to defrost them before cooking.
