wonton

i made these with the dimsum for iftar last nite and again with some modification from the original recipe taken from the same book.

above pic : making wontons parcels.. 

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 oz raw prawns (i used about 8 king prawns) - peeled and diced/chopped

4 oz minced chicken

1 spring onion finely chopped

coriander leaves finely chopped ( i added this)

1 small green chilli finely chopped- can skip this if you want to

1/2 tsp grated ginger

24-30 wonton wrappers

1 egg separated

salt & ground black pepper

for spicy dressing

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp chopped ginger

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp chopped coriander

note : i didnt make the above dressing last nite. i just made chilli kicap + vinegar dip.

method:

1. place the diced prawns and minced chicken in a bowl, add spring onion, coriander leaves, chilli, ginger, egg white. season with salt & pepper
2. place wonton wrapper on a board. put 1/2 -1 tsp of filling just above the centre of wrapper
3. with pastry brush, moisten edges of wrapper with a little egg yolk. bring the bottom of wrapper up over the filling, press gently to expel any air then seal the wrapper neatly in a triangle.
4. for more elaborate shape, bring the 2 side points up over the filling, overlap the points and pinch the ends firmly together.
5. space the filled wontons on a large baking sheet lined with grease proof paper so that they dont stick together
6. at this point, it depends on how you want to eat the wontons - either deep fried or boiled. if you want them boiled, then fill the pot with water, bring to simmering point. add the filled wontons a few at a time, simmer for 2-3 minutes. the wontons will float to the surface. when ready, the wontons will be translucentand filling should be cooked. remove and drain and spread on plate. then drizzle with dressing or dip.
7. i deep fried the wontons last nite..see pic below.

we had the wonton with noodles & soup & shredded chicken. how to make the soup?

ingredients

1 piece chicken breast

1.5 litre water

2 chicken stock cubes

1 vege stock pot ( i used Knorr vege stock pot)

8 dried mushrooms - soak in hot water for about 15 minutes to soften, drain but keep the water.. slice thinly.

bunch of coriander leaves

spring onions

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

ground black pepper

dried rice noodles - i used Vits air dried noodles (mee kering), available in Tesco or asian grocer

garnishing

bean sprout

shredded chicken (from boiled chicken breast)

crispy onion bits  

method:

1. pour 1.5 litre water into pot, put chicken stocks  & vege stock pot and chicken breast, leave it to boil. 
2. add in sliced mushrooms (& mushroom soaked water), spring onion, coriander leaves, rice vinegar, soy sauce, pepper. let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.  
3. remove the chicken breast and shred/slice thinly
4. boil the rice noodles according to packet, once cooked, strain and divide between serving bowls. ladle over the soup, add the garnishing and also the fried/boiled wontons & steamed dimsums if you like.. 

below : soup simmering in the pot.

i used this http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/514826  for the soup recipe but modified it a bit..

dimsum

last nite teringin nak makan chinese food, ni semua gara2 my cousin's iftar menu - Seafood Treasure in Drop Egg Soup. will try that one day. so off we went to the asian grocer to get bamboo steamer despite already having a big steamer. well, we have to do it in style, jadi ke tak jadi, belakang kira.

i used  the recipe (with some modification) from The EveryDay Chinese Cookbook, a 500 pages book that cost only £2! .

ingredients (serves 4)

for the dough

150g/ 1 1/4  cups plain flour
50ml/ 1/4 cup boiling water
25ml /1 1/2 tbsp cold water
7.5ml/ 1/2 tbsp vege oil

for the filling (this is where i modified because some of the ingredients in the book are non-halal)

4 oz minced chicken
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce ( i used kicap manis cos i dont have any kicap cair)
1 tsp demerara sugar ( i suppose this can be substitured with granulated sugar/brown sugar)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar (this is my substitute for dry sherry). you can skip this if you dont have any rice vinegar.
1 tsp cornflour
dash of white pepper ( i added this for seasoning)

method

1. to make the dough, sift the flour into a bowl. stir in boiling water, then add cold water with the oil. mix to form a dough and knead to smooth. dont be tempted to add any more water or oil.. just knead thro and thro.
2. divide the dough into 16 equal pieces  and shape into balls. using a rolling pin, roll the ball into  thin dimsum circle.
3. for the filling, mix the chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper  & oil
4. add cornflour and stir well until thoroughly combined.
5. place a little of the filling in the centre of each dimsum circle. pinch the edges of the dough together to form 'little purses'
6. line a steamer with a damp tea towel. place the dimsum on the steamer and steam for 10 minutes
7. serve with 'cili kicap' or hoisin sauce + chilli sauce dip.

seriously, i never thot making dimsum could be so easy... not bad for a first timer eh??