The Corporate Cookbook

About This Recipe:

There are a million ways to make wontons, but this is how my family makes them, and they are incredible! These wontons are actually super healthy and a great representation of guilt free Chinese food (not your typical greasy takeout order.) The important steps are to make sure that everything is very finely ground/minced, and that the wontons are tightly wrapped. The peppercorn oil and chili broth are optional (you could just use vegetable oil seasoned with black pepper, and serve with soy sauce,) but they really add a tasty touch.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 48 wontons- 4 servings)

Filling
-1/4 lb lean ground pork
-1/4 lb ground shrimp
-1 small head of Shanghai bok choy, finely minced
-5 scallions, finely sliced
-1 inch ginger root, finely grated
-1/4 cup soy sauce

Peppercorn Oil
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 tbls whole Szechuan peppercorns

-Wonton wrappers (I use the Twin Marquis Shanghai Style ones)
-1 egg white, beaten

Chili Broth (per serving)
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1/2 tbl soy sauce
-1/2 tsp chili paste
-1/4 tsp chili oil

Instructions (45 minutes) 

1. Peppercorn oil:
-In a small saucepan over medium high heat, heat up the vegetable oil. Add in the peppercorns and cook for about 5 minutes to infuse the oil. It is ready when the oil becomes fragrant and turns a light amber brown color (but make sure it doesn’t burn.) Strain the oil into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Filling:
-In a bowl, mix together all of the filling ingredients and cooled peppercorn oil.
3. Assemble:
-Take a wonton wrapper (keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out,) and put 2 tsps of filling in the center. Brush all 4 sides with the egg wash. Fold the wrapper over to form a triangle and then hold it so that it is an upside down triangle. Take the two top corners and fold and twist the right corner to connect with the left corner. Make sure that the wonton is tightly sealed.
4. Boil:
-In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the wontons for 5 minutes.
5. Chili Broth:
-While the wontons are cooking, bring the chicken broth to a boil in another pot. Then mix with the soy sauce, chili paste, and chili oil, and serve with the wontons.