Our version of fried wontons uses a thin, pre-bought wrapper stuffed with a filling of ground pork, scallion, and a bit of diced shrimp. That “can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it” flavor in a lot of Chinese cooking? Yeah, it’s fish. The resulting fried wontons are as light as air (much like their Cantonese name, “Zhá Yúntūn,” or “Swallowing Clouds”), with a touch of warm, ground-pork filling that is perfectly paired with a dab of sweet and sour sauce and a light, crisp beer. When made correctly, they are a food that I will eat as many of as there are in the room.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
- 1/4 pound ground pork
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 48 small square wonton skins
- Canola or peanut oil, for frying
- 1 cup Sweet and Sour sauce
Instructions
- To make the filling, combine the shrimp, pork, scallion, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly dust with cornstarch. To assemble wontons, fill each skin with about a teaspoon of filling, and fold either in half, into flower blossoms, or into nurse’s caps (see video below for more information on wonton folds). Place each finished wonton on the baking sheet.
- Put a wire cooling rack on a baking sheet, and place next to the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat to about 325 degrees.
- Working in batches, slide the wontons into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. Remove with tongs and transfer to rack to drain.
- Arrange the wontons on a platter and serve hot with sweet and sour sauce for dipping enjoy .
