Today is Dumpling Day 饺子 – the fifth day of the Spring Festival. It is a day of prosperity and good fortune, symbolized with dumplings in the shapes of Chinese gold ingots and money bags. The more you eat, the more well-off you are destined to be in the New Year.
The day also has a deeper meaning. The round-shape of a dumpling signifies the reunion of a family. But it is more than a representation, as daughters return home for the New Year to help their mother prepare the dumplings for the family to enjoy together.
In Malaysia, we prepare the classic Cantonese style dumplings – Wontons and Shui Jiao. Wonton, which means Swallowing Cloud 云吞, can either be deep-fried or boiled, and is generally in the shape of a ‘money bag’. Shui Jiao, or Water Dumpling 水饺, is a crescent shape dumpling, typically boiled and served in a soup broth.
Since it’s Chinese New Year – a time of wealth over health – we can afford to deep-fry them all up for a crispy, delectable snack.
It begins with the Pavlovian sizzle when each little dumpling hits the hot oil, and peaks when you finally crunch a golden one between your teeth and the filling bursts with bits of sweet shrimp and pork and juicy water chestnut, and has you wishing every day was Dumpling Day.
Fried Wonton & Shui Jiao recipe
Ingredients
- Wonton wrappers
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch – the “glue” for wrapping the dumplings
- Oil for deep frying
For the wonton filling:
- 1/2 lb medium prawns – shelled deveined, and diced (keep a few chunkier pieces for texture)
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup fresh water
- chestnuts – diced
- 2 clove garlic – minced
- 3 spring onions green part only – thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger – minced
For the seasoning:
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese rice wine optional
- Pinch of salt and generous dashes of white pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine prawns, pork, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, and spring onions. Add in seasoning and mix well. The filling is now ready.
- Dilute cornstarch with water in a small bowl as the “glue” for wrapping.
- Working with one wrapper at a time, place 1 to 1 1/2 tsp filling in the center. Then brush the edges of the wrapper with a bit of the cornstarch mixture and fold according to your desired shape, pressing the edges firmly together to seal.
- Heat oil in a wok. You can check when it’s ready by sticking the handle of a wooden chopstick or spoon into the oil, and if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be between 350F to 370F for deep frying. [Safety note: Never heat oil unattended]
- Place wontons into the heated oil by sliding them in one at a time. Fry the wontons for a few minutes, turning them occasionally to ensure all sides are cooked until golden brown.
- Dish out and drain on paper towel. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Tips & Techniques for wonton wrapping:
- Be careful not to overfill the wonton or it may break open when frying.
- If you find the wrappers to be too thick, use a rolling pin to lightly flatten them.
- To prevent the wrapped wontons from sticking to the plate before they are cooked, dust the plate with some cornstarch.
Methods for folding wontons (after filling has been added, and diluted cornstarch brushed on edge of wrappers)
- Gold ingot shape – using square wrappers
- Fold together two opposite corners to form a sealed, triangle shaped wonton. Lay the triangle flat, then fold the two bottom corners of the triangle toward you, crossing over the ‘belly’ of the wonton. Stick the two overlapping corners together to form the gold ingot shape.
- Money bag shape – using square wrappers
- Lift up all edges of the wrapper at the same time and pinch together to seal into a money bag shape.
- Simple crescent shape – using circle wrappers
- Fold in half and seal tight.
Notes
Nutrition
Try dipping the golden dumplings in Thai sweet chili sauce, Szechuan chili oil, or black vinegar with thin slices of ginger.
