Listening to the storm raging outside, nothing could be more comforting than tucking into a bowl of this warm Easy Wontons in Chili Oil. Scrumptious and so comforting, especially during chilly (pardon the pun) nights like this.
Wontons come in a variety of shapes and fillings. These can be boiled, steamed or fried. Made using a sheet of pastry (I usually just use the ready-made ones) and filled with your preference of seafood, meat or even vegetables. I guess you could think about it as the Chinese version of ravioli! Homemade wontons are an absolute hit in my household. I normally use a mix of prawns and chicken creating this parcel of juicy and tender explosion!
Making wontons might seem daunting to some people but trust me when I tell you it is really simple and easy to make. You just require a bit of time to wrap the wantons and that’s it! You don’t even need mad skills to wrap the wontons. Just fold it into halves if patience is not one of your preferred virtue. You do you.
Whenever I make wanton, I would do double the batch as uncooked wontons freeze really well. In-fact you don’t even need to thaw them before boiling. Wonton in the freezer = a bowl of deliciousness in 10 minutes.
Although wantons can be eaten on their own, if you love a bit of heat, do make this chilli oil. There are many variations of this, some use dried shrimps which is obviously delicious, some recipes also use Asian ingredients which might not be available everywhere. That’s the main reason as to why I am sharing this particular variation of the chilli oil. A basic recipe with easy to find ingredients. Delicious nevertheless!!
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see your creations let me know by snapping a pic and tagging @mayakitchenette on Instagram. 🙂
- 1 package of square wonton wrappers
- 300g of ground chicken
- 300g shrimps, chopped
- 2 garlic, grated
- 1 cm ginger, grated
- 2-3 stalks of green onions thinly chopped
- ½ tbsp of soy sauce
- ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp of sesame oil
- Fat pinch of white pepper
- 600 ml chicken/vegetable stock
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
- Fat pinch of white pepper
- 1 cup neutral-tasting oil (e.g. peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 4 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
- ½ cup Asian chilli powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
- In a deep wok, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and Sichuan peppercorns over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the oil till the spices starts to gently sizzle.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chili flakes and immediately turn off the flame.
- Season with salt and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove the whole spices and store in an airtight jar.
- Mix all of the wonton ingredients.
- Put one wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and place half a tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Using your finger, add a thin layer of water alongside the two top edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom to the top, forming a triangle and press the edges together to seal.
- Add all the stock ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil
- Cook the wantons, in batches.
- Stir gently with a spatula constantly, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- Cook until the wontons are floating on top for about 3-4 minutes.
- Once cooked, place some wontons in a bowl and drizzle with the chili oil
- Top with some green onions or parsley.
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