Prawn wontons with spring onion, ginger and vinegar dressing recipe

Step 2

Combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onions, celery, kecap manis, vinegar and both oils in a bowl and set aside.

Step 4

Peel and de-vein prawns, then dice prawn meat – you should have about 150 grams of diced prawn meat. Combine prawn meat with remaining ingredients, except wonton wrappers, in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Fill and shape wontons:

Step 11

3. Place a rounded teaspoon of the prawn filling in the centre of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.

Step 17

4. Fold the wrapper in half to enclose the filling, creating a rectangle. Press lightly around filling and along edges to seal.

Step 18

5. Hold the wonton lengthways in between your hands and fold the sealed edge of the wonton back in on itself.

Step 24

6. Lightly moisten one corner of the folded edge with water. Take the two ends in your fingers, bring them together with a twisting action, and press them lightly to join.

Step 31

Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Step 33

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Carefully drop wontons, in batches, into the water and cook for two minutes, or until they are just cooked. To test the wontons, you will need to remove one using a slotted spoon and cut into it with a sharp knife to see if the prawns are cooked through. Remove wontons with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat process with remaining wontons.

Step 35

Arrange wontons on a platter and serve immediately, drizzled with dressing.

Step 36

Serve as part of a shared meal with Kylie Kwong's everyday fried rice (optional).

Step 37

TIPS:

Step 38

■ Fresh wonton wrappers are available not only in all Asian grocery stores but also in the refrigerated sections of most supermarkets.

Step 39

■ Sprinkle finished dish with Sichuan pepper and salt for an extra layer of flavour: combine one tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns with three tablespoons salt flakes. Dry roast over medium-heat, tossing occasionally. Once the peppercorns begin to pop and become aromatic, about 1-2 minutes, take off the heat. Allow to cool then coarsely grind using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container for several weeks.

Step 40

■ It is fine to omit the chilli oil.

Step 41

■ Boil the wontons and serve them instead in a light broth (fish, chicken, vegetable broth best ) for a simple version of prawn wonton soup – I season my Chinese soups with light soy to taste and a touch of sesame oil. Bring the broth to the boil, season, then add some freshly trimmed and washed bok choy leaves and some finely sliced fresh Asian-style mushrooms, cooking for one minute. Place boiled wontons into a bowl, ladle over the hot broth.

Step 42

■ You could deep-fry these wontons for crispy prawn wontons. Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Carefully add the wontons in batches and deep-fry for about two minutes or until just cooked and lightly browned. To test the wontons, remove one using a slotted spoon and cut into it to see if the prawns are cooked through. Remove wontons with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. I would serve these wontons with a sauce such as sweet chilli or sweet and sour.