Fried Shrimp Wontons

Back when I was living at my "old place" I was looking to clean my fridge and freezer in the weeks before I was moving. One of the last recipes I made were these wontons. For some reason, I always get the inkling to make wontons when I am super starving. That is so not a good idea. In fact, I can't even tell you exactly how many wontons I made because I was eating them as I went along. Although they take some time to fill, they are totally easy to make because you can use pre-made wonton wrappers (unlike the potstickers I made a while back). Unsurprisingly, these wontons came from the same source as the potstickers. Not only does Jen have amazing photography, but the step by step pictures always lure me in. Once again, I am hoping to start including more step by step photos in my posts, but that will certainly take some time. Anyway, these wontons are so delicious and restaurant quality. Maybe even better because you know exactly what is going in them. Believe it or not, all these ingredients were things I already had on hand so it didn't require a last minute trip to one of the two stores I used to live next two (man, I miss those stores already!). These would definitely be fun to make with a group of people so the next time you are having a party, put these wontons on the menu!



Make sure you squeeze out all of the air when pressing the wontons together, otherwise you will end up with large air pockets.



Fried Shrimp Wontons
(Lightly Adapted from Use Real Butter)

Makes 20-25 wontons

For the wontons:
8 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, washed, trimmed, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 cup water chestnuts, small dice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1-2 dashes red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
20-25 wonton wrappers
Water for sealing wrappers
Canola oil for deep-frying

For the dipping sauce:
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
Pinch sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2-3 drops chili oil

Mix the shrimp, green onions, ginger, and water chestnuts in a bowl. Season with salt, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well.

Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper and wet the edges on one half of the wonton with the water. Fold the wrapper in half on the diagonal and press the edges together, pushing out any air pockets in the wonton. Dab one of the bottom corners with more water and fold the wings in front of the wonton so that they cross at the corners. Press together.

When all wontons are folded, heat oil in a deep medium saucepan to 350 degrees. Fry 5-6 wontons at a time until they are golden brown. Remove and set on a plate lined with paper towels. To make dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve hot wontons with dipping sauce.

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