Making wontons

I'm sure it needs no introduction but wontons are simply Chinese dumplings, typically filled with some combination of ground meat, shrimp, and vegetables.  The thing that makes wontons special is the very thin wrapper used to form them - once cooked, it's silky soft and being so thin, it allows the filling to take center stage.  For me and many others, dumplings like wontons are pure comfort food, particularly when paired with some hot soup or noodles.  It's no wonder that every culture has its own dumplings in some form.

Wontons, with pork and shrimp filling

I remember making wontons at home once when I was a kid.  I remember that it was a lot of fun but somehow, I also associated it with a lot of work and as a project that I never could quite find the right time to research and do.

So even though I sound like a broken record, I have to say I've wanted to make wontons at home for a long time but didn't until recently, over Christmas vacation.  My little guy loves to eat wontons when we go out and it's on the menu.  That was one motivation behind this project.  And finally, I was inspired to get practical, and get cooking, by The Chinese Takeout Cookbook.  It just sounded easy, as many of the recipes in the book are.

And you know something?  I really enjoyed making wontons!  Set yourself up, pull up a seat, and just start filling and sealing.  It's kind of therapeutic and a lot easier than you might think.

Seriously...consider having a little wonton-making party or just set a little time aside one day to make a big batch because right now, I'm discovering that having a bag of homemade, ready-to-go, wontons stashed in the freezer is a wonderful thing in the winter.  You make the wontons, lay them on a baking sheet to freeze, then pop them into a bag and store in the freezer. Then, you can have wontons any time you want and quick - just put a pot of water to boil and the wontons are cooked and ready to eat in less than 10 minutes!

Wontons tossed in soy sauce, sesame oil, and hoisin sauce for lunch

For these wontons, I used traditional pork and shrimp filling.  The richness is balanced by a little fresh ginger, rice vinegar, and chopped scallions.  I added a touch of sesame oil out of habit.  It's practically reflex since my mother taught us early on to add it to our meat marinades.  I think a little sesame oil never hurts an Asian dish!  It adds great aroma as well as flavor.

I got about 50 wontons in this batch (and I wish I had more).  I made them one afternoon and used some to make wonton soup for dinner, ladling some hot, spiced-up chicken broth over it and serving with bok choy.  You could certainly add some noodles and make a more substantial meal.  A few days later, I took some out of the freezer and cooked them for a quick lunch.  I simply cooked them in some boiling water and then stirred the wontons in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and hoisin sauce, which gives them a little sweetness.

Wonton soup with bok choy for dinner

Do you like fried wontons?  The kind you dip in that bright sweet and sour sauce?  These are the very same wontons - just fry them instead of boiling!