Crispy Sesame Wontons

Crispy Sesame Wontons

Makes: 20+ wontons

Dietary: Vegan Option if using egg free wonton pastry

Ingredients:

• 100g white cabbage
• 1 medium carrot (60g)
• Half a red pepper (60g)
• 2 spring onions
• 1” ginger-finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves-finely chopped
• Chilli to taste
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Shoyu Wonton wrappers- square or round approx. 5cm width.
• 1 tbsp Corn flour and enough water to form a paste (double cream consistency)

Dipping sauce:

• 4 tbsp plum sauce
• 2-4 hot chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Shoyu
• 1 tbsp sugar (jaggery/palm sugar or soft brown sugar)
• Juice and zest of a lime

Method:

To make the dipping sauce:

1. Combine all of the dipping sauce ingredients and taste.
2. Adjust the sugar, shoyu, chilli, and lime as needed.

To make the filling:

1. Shred the cabbage, carrots, pepper and onions either by hand with a sharp knife, with a grater or in a food processor.
2. Mix the sliced ingredients together in a bowl and add the chopped garlic and ginger, the chilli, sesame seeds and chopped coriander.
3. Taste and add the sesame oil, shoyu and lime juice to taste.
4. Place the filling in a colander lined with kitchen paper and squeeze gently to get rid of any excess liquid. This will make the wontons spit when they cook.

To make the wontons:

1. Mix together the corn flour and water in a small bowl. This will act as a glue to seal your wontons together.
2. Take a wonton sheet and place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the pastry.
3. Using a clean finger or pastry brush, paint a line of the corn flour paste around the edges of the wonton.
4. Pick the pastry up and bring the edges together so that you form a triangle if you are using square pastry or a half moon if you are using round.
5. Press the edges together to seal them well and try to squeeze out any air bubbles as you go.
6. If you are using square pastry you can make them more decorative by sticking the two points of the triangle together with a little more corn flour paste. They will look like tortellini.
7. Place the finished wontons on a clean tray sprinkled with a little corn flour.

To cook the wontons:

1. When you have made as many wontons as you can from the filling heat a large wok or frying pan with a lid and add a splash of sesame oil (or sunflower, vegetable or rapeseed, just not olive oil!) add about half of the wontons and let them crisp up on one side before turning over.
2. Fry the wontons until they are crispy all over and then add a splash of stock or water and place the lid on top so the wontons steam.
3. Set the cooked wontons to one side and cook the remaining wontons in the same way.

Tips:

• Wonton Pastry is available fresh or frozen in ready-made circles or squares from Asian stores.
• Many contain egg so be careful if you want to make these vegan.