Fried Shrimp Wontons with Water Chestnuts
Shrimp or prawns are a very popular wonton filling and who can resist a wonton appetizer recipe – crisp wontons stuffed with a juicy shrimp and water chestnut mixture? The following easy wonton recipe shows you how to make shrimp wontons which taste amazing.
Replace the sugar with sweetener if you prefer, or just leave it out. A touch of sweetness in a wonton recipe appeals to a lot of people but not to everyone. The other flavors - the sesame oil, ginger, chili and soy sauce – also add plenty of charm to this lovely, crunchy fried wontons recipe. Soy sauce makes a nice dipping sauce, or you could serve these with oyster sauce if you prefer. Either would work as a tasty dip for these shrimp wontons.
Another option would be making your own dip, but the main thing is getting the wontons just right. You can serve any dip with them. This recipe is simple enough for a wonton recipe beginner, yet the results are every bit as delicious as what you would expect to get in a Chinese restaurant. Making your own wontons is sure to impress your family. Serve these as a snack, an appetizer, or as part of a Chinese dinner. They are beautifully crunchy and the filling is really good.
Crunchy Fried Wontons with Shrimp
Ingredients -
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for shallow frying
4 tablespoons finely chopped water chestnuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped green (spring) onions
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus extra for dipping
1 tablespoon minced ginger
½ pound (250g) raw shrimp, shelled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon chili oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoon water
12 wonton wrappers
Preparation:
Saute the ginger and green onions in a tablespoon of oil in a wok over a moderate heat for a minute, then add the shrimp and water chestnuts and cook for another minute. Add the sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and soy sauce, and stir.
Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add this to the shrimp mixture. Transfer the mixture to a plate and let it cool.
Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center of each wonton wrapper and fold the corner over the filling, tucking the point underneath, to make triangle shapes. Pinch the wrapper around the shrimp filling to enclose it, making sure you squeeze out any air bubbles. Pull the side corners under the filling and use a little water to seal the edges.
Put the wontons on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp cloth as you prepare the remaining ones. You can freeze them at this point for up to 2 months if you want.
Heat a pot of oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and fry the wontons in batches for about 2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and serve with soy sauce for dipping.
Fried Shrimp Wontons
Photo Description:
From this picture you can see how lovely and crunchy these shrimp wontons come out. Although steamed, simmered and baked wontons are also good, many people love fried wontons the best. The crunch is just so satisfying. Fried wontons are perhaps the least healthy so they might not be your first choice if you are watching your weight but, to be honest, eaten in moderation they aren't going to do you any harm. Crunchy fried wontons always make an amazing treat and once you have tried this recipe for fried wontons you are definitely going to want to make it again.
American Chinese Cuisine
American Chinese food is a fusion cuisine, and was designed to make authentic Chinese food more acceptable to Western palates. Chinese eateries began to appear in the 1800s in San Francisco, and they first catered to Chinese immigrants, and then to miners and railroad workers.
Local ingredients were used and cooks adapted Chinese recipes to suit the Western taste. Chinese people were excluded from many jobs at this time by lack of fluency in English or by racial discrimination, so many worked in Chinese restaurants or Chinese laundries.
Traditional vs. Westernized Chinese Food
Traditional Chinese cuisine emphasizes vegetables in the entrees rather than serving them as side dishes. Traditional Asian vegetables like kai-lan and boy choy are used plentifully. Deep-frying, pan-frying and stir-frying are used in American Chinese cuisine, and some ingredients are not used in the authentic dishes.
For example, Chinese recipes use Chinese broccoli, not western broccoli. Onion (except green onion), broccoli and carrots are not used in many Chinese dishes, nor are tomatoes. Cheese and milk are not used in Chinese cooking either.
Many Chinese chefs consider American Chinese to be a "dumbed-down" version of the real thing, mixing up foods from different regions of China, or offering fried vegetables with chicken or beef in a thick sauce, or Americanized chop suey.
Examples of American Chinese food include General Tso's chicken, Chinese chicken salad, almond chicken, sesame chicken, orange chicken, fried wontons, pepper steak, royal beef, fortune cookies, crab Rangoon, chow mein and chop suey. 'Chop suey' means 'leftovers' in Chinese interestingly enough!
You can find authentic Chinese restaurants if you want an authentic experience, specializing in Sichuanese, Hunanese, Cantonese, Shanghaies, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese recipes. There are also seafood restaurants, hot pot restaurants and dim sum eateries. You can find specialized Chinese dessert shops, boba milk tea shops, bakeries, and roasted meat shops in Chinatown.
Make Your Own Traditional Recipes
There is another way to ensure you are getting authentic Chinese food and that is to make your own. Although you will find non-traditional recipes like crab Rangoon wontons or deep-fried dessert wontons on this site, you can also find plenty of authentic treats. Some of the American Chinese wontons and creative wonton ideas are just too good to leave out!