Making The Perfect Wonton

The Chinese New Year is coming up in another week or so .It's the perfect time to embrace Chinese cooking and the various dishes. One of them is wontons. Done right, these dumplings are heavenly, , especially if they're filled with a good mix of spices,meat and veggies.

David Tanis wrote about as well as gave a recipe for them in his A City Kitchen in yesterday's wednesday's New York Times Food section.Dumplings or wontons are relatively easy to make. The wrapping is the key ingredient and it's simple. Combine itwo cups of  flour and 3/4 cup of just boiled  water with a pinch of salt.. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cut the dough into about thirty or forty smaller balls and then roll out. For larger wontons cut about ten to twenty pieces. Use a pasta maker if you have one. Also if you're stacking the wrappers, dust them with conrstarch first so they don't stick to each other.wrappers can be kept in the freezer for a few days. They can be dyed, using beet, carrot or spinach juice.These last can be made with taking the veggies and simmering a half cup of each in four cups of water for two hours. The entire filling and cooking process takes about seven minutes to execute. The wontons only take four minutes to thoroughly cook up if they are boiled.


The stuffing is the best part as Mr Tanis declares.He combines sea scallops and shrimp with scallions.Ginger and chili peppers give them kick and bite.If you want more of a veggie taste then omit one of the seafoods and sub in shredded cabbage or carrots.Home chefs can also try a pork and shrimp filling too. This is six ounces of cooked shrimp mixed with half a cup  of chopped cooked pork (never use raw pork for dumplings, because there is always the threat of trichonosis ) To soften the two strong flavors, add mushrooms, onions and scallions. Wontons can be wonderfully vegetarian too. You can add mashed cooked tofu, onions, bean curd, along with cabbage and bok choy, Flavoring is up to you  and if you can stand heat. Mr, Tanis adds a tablespoon of chili along with a tablespoon of grated ginger. Decrease these amounts if you want a milder taste. He also incudes a dipping sauce that is made from rice vinegar, spicy sesame oil and scallions.You can also just make a great sauce from scallions and soy  together or even duck sauce, a mix of peach or apricot jam, white vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil along with ginger and water.

Celebrate the Year of the Goat with yummy homemade dumplings and sauces. They will be better than nay take out and customized to your tastes. Enjoy them boiled with a great just mixed dip.