Most every body I know loves Wontons!
So what are wontons, they’re wonderfully unique and tasty, the quintessential crunchy Asian snack or soft, succulent wontons floating in a fragrant soup. A wonton you don’t forget, people crave them and can’t be satisfied with anything else. So how did they come about, get so popular and make their way all over the globe into our hearts? “The Everything Chinese Cookbook” had sweet anecdotes, so my Scrappy Chefness was so curious. I was on a mission to learn and try making them myself, it was not so easy! The filling was not a problem, it was the folding and rolling. The little card inside the package had complete instruction and I still could not get it right. Gonna have to take that challenge again! MaMa and I go eat Asian or Chinese once in a while, and we’re sure to order a wonton soup. The pea pod, bok choy, sliced roasted red pork, the dumplings swimming in the savory broth pipping hot. Oh so so good! I love also the steamed dumplings served with the sweet and slightly spicy special soy sauce. A great start to Oriental haven.
Wontons originated in North China. They used to be sealed stuffed buns named “Huidun”, but changed to wonton to suit the Chinese writing characters. Today it’s understood all over the globe and new varieties and flavors are coming out all the time. Flour wonton wrappers are stuffed, and then boiled, steamed or fried. These are very similar to Chinese dumplings, although wontons are made with a square wrapper and dumplings are made with a round one. Wonton wrappers are really, really thin, thinner than dumpling wrappers.
There were numerous wonton restaurants in cities during the Tang and Song dynasties, these wontons were filled with delicate stuffing and boiled in soup. It was traditional in some regions to eat wontons on the midwinter day, this was by far the most important fact in the history of wontons. Zhang Zhonging was a famous Chinese doctor who would stuff wontons with plants and healthy ingredients to disguise the flavor of the medicinal plants using herbs and spices also, he offered them to anyone suffering from illnesses especially frostbite. So, not only these acted as a delicious treat but it could make you better too. These days we understand more about treating illness with healthy foods and cutting down on “bad” foods. The Chinese had a better understanding of holy medicine for centuries.
Today, wontons are usually stuffed with pork and shrimp, as well as vegetables, ginger and shallots. This has been the most popular recipe for many years and found in every oriental restaurant, food truck, luncheon counters that featured Asian, Thai and Chinese food. There is many styles and recipes to consider in the history of wontons, the Shanghai small pork wonton, Gyoza (in Japanese), or Jiaozi (in Chinese), more like potstickers, the Hong Kong fried wonton, the Wuxi Sanxian wonton which for the seafood enthusiast, is stuffed with shrimp, pork and pickles and then of course the Sichuan hot and spicy wontons all served with plum, duck sauce or a chili sauce.
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Although you might enjoy wontons at restaurants, there is something about making your own. You’ll have a beautiful fresh flavor and as you can see you have unlimited possibilities to put together. It goes without saying that deep-dried wontons served with a sugary or creamy dipping sauce is perhaps not the healthiest snack ever, but if you fancy wontons and you are trying to cut out some calories, it might please you to know that wonton can be healthy offering around 30 calories a piece, wonton wrappers can be filled with a healthy filling and steamed, poached in liquid or baked. If you want to experiment with the filling and flavorings and try your luck at creating the most amazing wontons, stuff your own trying crab and cream cheese with cilantro, or tofu with vegetables, ground meats with cabbage and green onions. Make it Italian, combine mozzarella cheese with sun dried tomatoes and basil, go for a Greek feel, use feta cheese, diced black olives and some lemon juice and pepper. You could also go Mexican by mixing grated Mexican cheese with chopped chili peppers and taco beef, try filling your wrappers with thinly sliced vegetables, ginger and a little soy sauce, seal them, spray with cooking spray and bake in *400 oven for ten minutes or until they are crispy or steam them in a low water steam bath for a winning taste. The sky is the limit when you can use your favorite ingredients.
~Happy Fooding folks, Happy Won-toning! As always, your comments, suggestions, recipes and love are always welcomed. scrappychef@yahoo.com And the last words~Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian: lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese. Garlic makes it good! ~ Alice May Brock.
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