One of our favorite restaurants, Bangkok Joe’s, has the most delicious dumplings I’ve ever eaten. The first mushrooms I ever liked were in their mushroom and ginger dumplings. They were so flavorful and unique that they insisted on being enjoyed. When I had some wonton wrappers and mushrooms hanging around in my fridge, I decided to make my own version. And while different, these wontons are quite delicious in their own way.
To make them, finely dice 1 pint of mushrooms, and then brown them in a pan with oil. While they cook, finely dice 1 carrot, and add it to the pan as well. Once the carrot has softened, dice up some water chestnuts (approximately 1/4 cup) and stir them in for a crunchy texture. Then, drizzle over 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger (frozen ginger is easiest to grate). Taste your mushroom mixture, and adjust the flavors. Because the filling will be inside the wonton wrapper, you should slightly over-season it.
Place a small amount of the mushroom filling, about 1 teaspoon, in the centers of your wonton wrappers, and then decide how you would like to fold them. I thought the square wontons looked the prettiest, but the tortellini-style wontons (the ones in the corners) tasted the best. Mysterious. To fold them, wet your finger and then moisten two adjoining edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wet corner diagonally over the filling so that it meets the dry corner, and seal the edges. You should now have a triangle. Then, bring the two corners on the longest side of the triangle together, and moisten them to stick.
Fill a skillet approximately 1 centimeter high with vegetable oil, and heat it over medium-low heat. Test the oil by dropping in a small piece of wonton wrapper. When bubbles form around the wrapper, the wontons are ready to fry. Place the wontons in the oil until they brown, which takes approximately 1 minute. Rotate the wontons in the oil so that all sides crisp. Drain the wontons on paper towels. To make a simple dipping sauce, whisk together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Dip away and enjoy your crispy and flavorful treats!
Shopping list:
- Wonton wrappers
- Mushrooms- 1 pint
- Carrot- 1
- Water chestnuts
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Ginger
- Red pepper flakes
- Cilantro
can not wait to try this one!!! I made shrimp and crab wontons all the time, but this is a great alternative!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
The possibilities are endless 🙂