Spinach Wontons (Deep Fried)
Chinese · Appetizer ·
Difficulty: Advanced · Rating: ★★★★ ·
Prep: 120 min · Makes: 40 Wontons
Source: Classic Chinese Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 Bundles fresh spinach
- 1 Tbsp light vegetable
- 1 Cloves garlic
- 1/4 white onion
- 10 water chesnuts
- 40 won ton wrappers (one 1 lb package will work)
- 3 Tsp black pepper
- 1 Tsp salt
- 4 Cup vegetable oil
- 1 deep-frying thermometer (up to 400ºF)
Preparation
- First, you'll make the wontons, then deep fry them.<br />rnTo start, rinse and clean all the veggies.<br />rnCoarsely chop the spinach.<br />rnMince the onions, garlic, and water chesnuts.
- Heat up a wok or skillet.<br />rn<br />rnWhen it's hot, stir fry the garlic and onion for 20-30 seconds<br />rn<br />rn
- Add the water chesnuts and spinach.<br />rnStir fry until the spinach is cooked down, about 3-4 minutes.
- Empty the mixture into a bowl, and add the salt and pepper. Toss.
- Now, you're ready to make the wontons. This is more practice than anything, so don't worry if your first attempts are as bad as mine! To start, place one or two wonton wrappers flat on a dry surface.
- Dip your fingertips in warm water, and wet all four edges of the wrapper.
- Then, place about 1 tsp of filling into the middle-lower half of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper over itself, and squeeze together the edges to form a seal.
- Now, pull the front two corners (the ones you just sealed) toward each other, so that you end up with a roughly circular shape. Squeeze these together to keep the shape. Don't worry if it doesn't look quite right -- it will still taste good!<br />rn<br />rnRepeat this until all the filling is used up. You can keep the finished wontons on a baking sheet, covered with a towel. Turn them occasionally so they don't stick to the pan.
- When you have all the wontons, it's time to start the deep frying. Heat 3-4 cups of oil (peanut is the best, unless you have allergies. Then use vegetable or canola oil). to 350-375ºF. The temperature is very important, or the wontons will end up oily!<br />rn<br />rnAdjust your heat until you can keep the oil at this temperature.
- Deep fry the wontons 4 at a time. <br />rnTo deep fry, slide them gently into the oil, and let the wontons fry until golden brown. Then, flip over and cook on the other side. The overall frying time is about a minute on each side.
- To turn and remove the wontons, the best thing is a deep frying skimmer (found at most good asian food stores). Chopsticks, or even tongs in a pinch, will also work.<br />rn<br />rnDrain the wontons on paper towels.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the oil temperature. You want to keep it as close to 350ºF as possible, so you may need to let it re-heat between fryings.
- Once drained the wontons can either be eaten immediately or frozen.<br />rnIf you freeze them, you can re-heat at 350ºF directly on the oven rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Make sure to place a baking sheet below the wontons to catch any oil drippings!
