Crispy Pork Filled Wontons and Dipping Sauce

Pork Wontons

Do you like a really good Chinese style wonton?  I do, but not the high price in a restaurant, nor a mystery filled frozen wontons.
 An AMS reader asked me for a recipe for wontons, and since I like a challenge, here is my interpretation. I do hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

 Crispy Pork Won Tons & Dipping Sauce
The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator to use when ready to assemble in the won tons.  Important – warm the filling before assembling or there is not enough fry time to warm it through without burning the won tons.)

Ingredients: 
16 oz. sausage
3 oz. can water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
8-12 green onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbl. grated garlic
1 Tbl. grated fresh ginger root  * see below in Dipping Sauce recipe for instructions on how to grate fresh ginger root
1 tsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
12-14 oz. package of won ton wrappers




Directions:
Finely chop water chestnuts in a mini chopper or by hand.
In a fry pan combine the sausage, chopped water chestnuts, carrot and cook until almost cooked through; breaking up sausage into very small pieces.Add in the green onion, ginger root, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Continue cooking until the pork is completely cooked through.Cover a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with waxed paper and sprinkle generously with corn starch.



Take a wonton wrapper and place a scant tablespoon of the mixture into the center of the won ton wrapper.
Moisten all four edges of the won ton with water.Fold the won ton over and press together to seal. Make sure all the edges are sealed completely.Place the filled won ton onto the corn starch which prevents sticking.Fill the electric fry pan about 2” high of oil, or use a deep fryer according to directions. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Line a plate or cookie sheet with layers of paper towels.



Fry the filled wontons a few at a time, or until they are golden brown and float to the top, 2-4 minutes.
Remove fried won tons and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.Serve with Dipping Sauce – recipe follows:





Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp. chicken bouillon
2 Tbl. water
2 Tbl. soy sauce
1/2 – 1 tsp. sesame oil, to desired taste

2 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. minced ginger* (purchase 3-4 inch piece of fresh ginger root) OR 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger

1/4 tsp. chili oil
2 tsp. packed brown sugar
pinch – 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, to desired taste
1 Tbl. green onion, minced





Directions:
In a small sauce pan combine all the ingredients.

IF using fresh, grate the ginger root. 
You can purchase any size you want.  It is ok to break off the section you want; you do have to purchase the whole root portion.
Peel the ginger root with a knife or a vegetable peeler.
Grate on a fine grater.Add the fresh ginger root to the rest of the ingredients (again, IF using fresh) Warm mixture through long enough to dissolve and combine ingredients.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use (use within 3-4 days). Warm before serving if it has been chilled.
Crispy Pork Filled Wontons and Dipping sauce are Carrie Groneman’s recipes, copyright Carrie Groneman, A Mother’s Shadow, 2013, 2014
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