Hong Kong-Style Wontons

If you’re Cantonese like me, you probably prefer wontons over dumplings. And if you’re also like me, you prefer to mix and wrap your own over eating store bought ones! I recently started 包-ing wontons again and perfecting the cute 元寶-shapes! This easy recipe will have you wonton more!

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Ingredients: (yields about 100 wontons )

  • 1 pack of Hong Kong style wonton wrappers (these are the square yellow-colored ones)

  • 1 lb. fresh ground pork

  • 1 lb. fresh shrimp (with the guts taken out, finely chopped, according to your preference)

  • 3-4 stalks of chopped green onion/scallions (generously scatter in meat mixture; the rest for the broth)

  • 3 tsp. rice vinegar

  • 1 tsp. sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1 pinch white pepper

  • 1/2 tsp. grated ginger

  • 1 bowl of room temperature water (for sealing the wontons when wrapping)

  • Chicken bouillon powder or chicken stock (for broth)

Instructions:

  1. In a big bowl, mix together ground pork, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and grated ginger.

  2. Evenly fold in the ground shrimp and scallion into the ground pork mixture. Make sure everything is well mixed in. Pro tip: Add few tablespoons of water into the mixture to prevent the meat from getting too “tight” when cooking.

  3. Scoop about 1 tsp. of wonton mixture into the center of the wrapper. Position the wrapper in a diamond shape (corner at the top). Use your finger to wet the edges of the wrapped (in an upside-down “V” shape).

  4. Fold the wrapper in half so that you have a triangle (point at the top). Make sure the wonton is closed and air bubbles around the mixture are gone.

  5. Using your thumb to hold the “bulb” of meat in place, use your other fingers to pull and fold the two “ears” of the wonton skin down and place one “ear” on top of the other, sealing it with a touch of water.

  6. Boil water and gently drop in wrapped wontons. Cook until they float up to the top of the water. Scoop out and place in bowl.

  7. Boil water and chicken bouillon powder or chicken stock for broth, add white pepper and scallions to taste.

  8. Pour broth over bowl of wonton. Enjoy!

*You can freeze the wrapped wontons in a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer. They will keep, but it is best to enjoy them within a week!

food & drinkAngela Ko