it’s been AAPI heritage month and we’ve been recognizing the contributions and influence that AAPI persons have woven through American culture.
Today, the Chinese American Restaurant Association states that over 45,000 Chinese restaurants across the United States, more than the number of McDonalds, Burger Kings, Kentucky Fried Chickens, and Wendy’s, combined. It’s clear that Chinese food in America has evolved from its origins feeding poor miners in “chow chow houses” to something new entirely. – Connie Chang UCLA
In honor of that we wanted to share one of jasper’s favorite recipes to make at home.
Jasper’s Pork and Shrimp Wontons
1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb chopped, deveined shrimp
2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 whole egg
3 tsp cold water
2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallions
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
32 thin wonton skins
1. Put pork and shrimp in a chilled mixing bowl. Mix briefly so pork and shrimp are distributed evenly. Add rice wine, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, egg, water, scallions, black pepper and fish sauce. Mix well to incorporate. Pan-fry a small small amount of the mixture in the oil to check seasoning; taste and adjust. Transfer mixture to a small container, cover and chill at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have time, up to 24 hours.
2. To prepare wontons, remove a few wonton skins from the package and lay them on a dry work surface. Put 1 teaspoon filling in the center of each square skin. Paint the edges of the square lightly with water. Gently fold one side over the other, pinching edges together; you should have a folded rectangle. Now pull the lower corners in toward each other and pinch together to make the traditional curved wonton shape. Place wontons 1 inch apart on a baking sheet or platter. At this point, they are ready to cook or can be placed in the freezer to be saved for later.
3. To cook wontons, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Place 10-12 wontons in the boiling water and allow to cook for 3 minutes (7-9 minutes if cooking from frozen). Using a wire-mesh strainer or slotted spoon, fish the wontons out of the water.
4. To eat, you can make a soup using the wontons and the cooking liquid seasoned with soy sauce, our chili crisp or vinegar.
Tip: This is a great all-around recipe for filling that can also be used for bao, shumai or boiled dumplings (jiaozi).
