The Nostalgia Of Wontons

 The Year of the Rabbit is upon us and with it comes traditional centuriess old recipes. One is wontons, They're delicous in soup, heavenly when fried. One of their best aspects is that they can be made at home - anytime.

Regular contributor and deputy editor Genvieve Ko wrote about this classic in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section.The Lunar New Year starts ths Sunday and the perfect dish according to her is wontons. They're a comfort food that reminds immigrants of home and second generation Chinese Americans a tie to their heritage. Wontons have been eaten since ancient times according to Grace Young, an award winning cookbook author and food historian. They symbolize wealth because of their resemblance to gold ingots.It's the same reason dumplings are also served during the holiday. Keep in mind that wontons are dumplings but not all dumplings are wontons. They're also not exclusively Cantonese. There are thicker skinned ones in northern China and of course spicy ones from Szechuan in the southwest. The Hong Kong style that Ms KO grew up with has silky wrappers and is always stuffed with shrimp. There is also a dessert with this. Usually the Canonese serve oragnes becasue their Cantonese name is a homophone for gold. However Ms. Ko includes  a shortbread cookie recipe baked with the blackened sesame seeds found in such holiday candies and sweets like tang yuan,

Home chefs may be daunted making wontons.Making them is  really no different than making pasta. It's almost the same mix of flour, eggs and warm water along with salt. There is cornstarch for dusting.  It's the same well method  too, meaning a well is made in a mound of flour and the eggs are poured into it. The dough will be shaggy and it needs to be kneaded for eight to ten minutes until it's not sticky anymore. Divide the dough in two and then pat into a rectangle. Loosely wrap each section of dough in  Saran wrap and let each sit for an hour. Doing this will help the dough relax and easier to roll out. You can use a pasta roller or a rolling into create sheets. You'll need a ruler , a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough into twenty-eight to thirty three inch squares. The filling is a tasty blend of shrimp, pork and scallions.It's flavored with ginger, oyster  sauce , soy sauce and sesame oil. Sugar salt and pepper are mixed in for a contrast of salty and sweet and there's the addition of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry. The wontons' edges are sealed with water when they're deep fried or cooked insoup. The cookies are an easy shortbread ,sprinkled with white  sesame seeds. This is a perfect dessert served with oranges.

What better way to start the New Year with wonton and blackened sesame shortbread cookies. Enjoy both ushering in the Year of The Rabbit. They're a fun way to celebrate.

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.