DEEP FRIED WONTON

If you can’t go to the restaurant, the restaurant can come to you! Plus frying them checks off the Hanukkah box for using oil! Make the filling and then let your family and guests shape the wonton and fry them. My guests enjoyed the process and camaraderie and loved the results

DEEP FRIED WONTON

1/2 pound prepared wonton skins

2 tablespoons peanut or other vegetable oil
1/2-pound ground veal
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Cream Sherry
½ teaspoon salt
6 canned whole water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

3 cups vegetable oil for frying

1. To prepare the filling, set a 12-inch wok over high heat for 20 seconds. Pour in the 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 20 seconds. Turn the heat down if the oil begins to smoke.

2. Add the veal and stir-fry for 1 minute or until it loses its pink color.

3. Add the soy sauce, Sherry, salt, water chestnuts and scallion and stir-fry for another minute.

4. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir to recombine and then pour it into the pan. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Transfer contents to a bowl and then cool to room temperature before assembling wonton.

5. Lay a wonton square so that the point is on top and looks like a diamond. Place 1½ teaspoons filling on each wonton center.

6. Wet your finger with a little water and brush the upper left and lower right edge with your wet finger.

7. Pretend that the diamond is like the points of a clock. Folding the dough in half, bring the point of dough at six o’clock up to just left of twelve o’clock. You now have a slightly off centered triangle. Wet the bottom left point of dough with a little water.

8. Hold the bottom points in your left and right hands and pull down on the points so that the point in your right hand overlaps the wet point in your left hand. Pinch the dough together and set aside while you fold the remaining wonton. This may be done an hour or so in advance. If wontons have to wait longer, they should be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Remove from refrigerator at least 1/2 hour before cooking.

9. To cook, place 3 cups of oil in a deep fryer, a clean 12-inch wok or cast iron skillet and heat the oil until it registers 375F. on a frying thermometer.

10. Deep fry the wontons 6 at a time until they are golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain while you fry the rest. Serve with plum sauce.

Tina’s Tidbits:

• Fried wontons can be kept warm for an hour or so in a 250F oven or reheated for 5 minutes in a 450F oven.
• Ground veal is the perfect substitute for pork in this, and most, Chinese recipes.  Flavor and texture are identical.
• The advantage of the suggested cooking equipment is that they are easy to clean and won’t have that remaining trail of cooked on oil that is very hard to remove from stainless steel.