Just a Really Good Crispy Pork Wonton

I've sold thousands of these delicious wontons throughout the years. From what I've heard, they're pretty good:

Satisfied customer #1: "Oh. My. God."
Satisfied customer #2:  "These are the best wontons I've ever had".
Satisfied customer #3:  (Doesn't say much, but eats about 25 wontons) :p

Sharing is Caring?
Should I share my recipe here? So far, I've only revealed the recipe to students in my cooking classes. After much careful deliberation, I've decided to share my basic recipe here. It will taste good and is super easy to make. I'll also detail my quick wonton production method - 200 wontons an hour.

My original recipe, adapted from my Popo's, has a few additional ingredients that (in my opinion) elevate the dish. I *might* share it with you some day. :)

In the meantime, if you need your wonton cravings satisfied, place your orders with me! These things freeze and reheat well so order more ;)


Ingredients

For filling
1 lb ground pork
1 oz finely diced water chestnut
1 oz finely diced carrot
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 egg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Plus
1 packet wonton wrappers
4 cups peanut oil
(Makes about 60 wontons)

1. Thoroughly mix all the filling ingredients together
2. Preheat oil in a wok or deep fryer to 375 F
3. To wrap the wontons: peel off a piece of wonton 'skin'. Place in the palm of your left hand.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Using a teaspoon, scoop up about a heaping teaspoonful of filling. Sort of 'smear' the filling onto the wonton skin on your palm so it forms a balled shaped.
5. With the wonton skin still in your left palm, use your right forefinger and thumb to pick up the bottom corner of the skin and bring it up to meet the opposite corner. Lightly pinch the skins together where they meet just above the balled filling.
6. Again using your right forefinger and thumb hold the pinched corners. Then your left forefinger and thumb draw the other two loose corners inward to meet the pinched corners, at the same time pressing quite firmly into the balled filling. Try to get maximum contact for skin and filling, eliminate air pockets. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Place on tray lightly dusted with corn flour. This prevents the wontons from sticking to the tray.
8. Keep going until the filling is used up.
9. Drop the wontons into the hot oil and fry for three minutes. At the end of three minutes the wontons should be golden brown in color and safely cooked through. If they turn dark too quickly, reduce the heat for the next batch.
10. Serve immediately with sweet sour dipping sauce (recipe to follow!) 
    
    
    
    
    
11. Any leftovers can be reheated at 350 F for 10 minutes.

I'd love to know how the wontons turned out for you and if you had any problems making them. Leave a comment!

Malaysian Roti Canai & Dhall Curry

I've always wanted to learn how to make Roti Canai. My last attempt over 20 years ago was a disaster, and since then I've felt sure that the Art of Tossing Roti was beyond the reach of mere mortals.

Actually... roti canai is totally doable! And there's no reason why you can't make it yourself at home. Healthier too!

Fluffy, light roti that is soft inside and crispy outside. Bottom left: dough balls generously oiled and rested, ready
to shape and flip; Flipped roti that is paper thin; The delicious end product.

The basic roti canai recipe has only three ingredients - flour, salt and water. Oil, margarine or ghee are used to oil the dough mixture. Variations of this recipe include condensed milk, eggs and/or sugar. Here's my favorite recipe for roti canai, followed by a recipe for a simple dhall curry. I prefer high gluten flour as this gives a more pliable dough, but all purpose flour is more readily available and will do the job. I like to add egg to the roti dough mixture to increase the protein content. I use a Kitchenaid mixer to do the kneading, but it's just as easy by hand.

Ingredients for Roti Canai

Makes 4-5 roti
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup water (approximately)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (approximately)

1. With the dough hook attachment on low speed, mix the flour and salt in the mixing bowl. 
2. Add the egg, and most of the water, mixing on low speed. Continue adding water until the dough holds together in a soft ball, but not sticky. If it gets sticky, add a little flour. Knead for 5 minutes.
3. Portion the dough into small plum-sized balls, one-by-one. As each ball is formed, generously slather with oil and place in a bowl. The coat of oil will keep the dough balls separate while the dough rests.
4. Rest the dough balls for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge (take out of the fridge an hour before shaping).
5. Flipping or Tossing the Roti: The best video tutorial on this technique is found at Lesley Tan's video blog and I suggest you practice a couple of times with a hanky first. 
6. Preheat your largest flat pan on low heat before starting to shape and flip the roti. 
7. Oil your hands and the work surface before picking up a dough ball. Use your palms to flatten the dough ball into a round disk. Flip and fold the roti as shown in the video. 
8. Drizzle some oil on the pan, then drop the folded roti onto the pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 
9. Serve with dhall curry (recipe below).

Ingredients for Dhall Curry

Yellow dhall

1 cup yellow dhall (also known as chana dhall / dal / dhal)

1 stick cinnamon*

1 knob ginger, sliced

1 star anise*

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon mustard seed*

About 5 sprigs of curry leaves (30 leaves)

1 tomato, cut into 8 wedges*

1 potato, cubed*

1 small eggplant*, cut into wedges

Salt to taste
*optional

1. Rinse the dhall a few times. Add enough water to cover the dhall, then soak the dhall for four hours or overnight. 
2. Add the cinnamon, ginger, garlic, star anise, tumeric, mustard seed and curry leaves to the soaked dhall. Boil the dhall for 30 minutes until tender. Skim off any foam that forms.
3. Add the potato and cook for another 20 minutes.
4. Add the eggplant and tomato and cook for another 15 minutes until tender.
5. Add salt to taste and serve with roti canai.

I hope you have fun flipping roti canai! Let me know how it goes! :)

Asian Shrimp Cucumber Salad Recipe

Cucumber salad with sesame ginger lime dressing is one of my favorite salads, and today I dressed it up with shrimp for Kim's bridal shower. I've seen variations of this 'asian' salad all over the internet, but I prefer mine the best. It has just the right balance of sweet, sour, salty, and the 'umami' that imparts something extra special to this refreshing summer salad. The recipe below makes enough for four (1/2 cup) servings of salad.

A really delicious salad

Ingredients 
One hothouse cucumber
One large knob of ginger (about thumb-sized), ground into a paste. (I use a mortar and pestle)
One clove garlic, finely minced
Juice from one lime
2 T apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg's organic raw unfiltered ACV)
1 T coconut palm sugar. This is delicious sugar from the sap of coconut palm flower buds.
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup cooked shrimp (optional)

The sliced cucumber awaits its ginger sesame lime dressing. 

1. Use a fork to rake lines down the length of the cucumber. (when sliced, looks prettier).
2. Slice the cucumber in half, length-wise. Then slice each halve into thin slices. Place in bowl.
3. Into a smaller bowl, place the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, coconut palm sugar, salt, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well.
4. Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumber, add shrimp and sesame seeds. Toss to coat the cucumber and shrimp evenly with the dressing.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit your tastes.
6. Serve immediately, or keep covered in refrigerator for up to a day before serving. 

Substitutions

The coconut palm sugar can be substituted with regular sugar. You may omit the fish sauce and use 1/4 tsp more salt, or you can also substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce. Rice vinegar or white vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar. I prefer cooking the shrimp myself rather than using the ready-cooked shrimp. I marinate about 1 1/2 cup of raw shrimp in 1/4 tsp salt, dash white pepper, one clove garlic (minced), then quick fry in 2 T peanut oil. 

Where to obtain ingredients? I am able to buy most of what I need at the Strip District in Pittsburgh - I use natural ingredients, with no MSG or preservatives, in my cooking. 

What's your favorite cucumber salad recipe? How did you like mine? Would love to hear from you!

xo Gracie 

p.s. It would be AWESOME if you could click on any ad here - my sponsors give me a few cents per click. Thanks for supporting my blog!