Stay-In Saturdays

Happy Saturday!

A couple days ago was the start of the Mid Autumn Festival. I was originally planning to be in Hong Kong right about now to celebrate the festival in my mother's home city but we weren't able to make the trip and Corey and I planned our summer roadtrip instead.

Since we can't be in Asia, we are eating moon cakes and eating Chinese food instead. Today I am sharing one of my favorite foods in the world- my mom's won ton recipe. I've eaten won ton all over Asia and Chinatowns everywhere and have yet to find anywhere that has better won ton than my mom's. It's easy to make and even easier to make in a huge batch to freeze some for later!

Winnie's Won Tons

Ingredients:

-1 Package of Wonton Wrappers (We prefer the thinner ones that you can usually only get at the Asian grocers. I know these are hard to find in other parts of the country so if you end up getting whatever you can find at your local grocery store, it's okay. Just know that the texture of the wrapping is going to be a little different!)
-1 lb Ground Pork
-1 lb Raw Shrimp (shelled, deveined, chopped and rinsed)
-1 tsp Lee chicken bouillon powder (We use Lee Kum Kee but whatever brand you find works!)
-1 tsp Oyster Sauce (Again, we use Lee Kum Kee but any brand works!)
-Pinch of White Pepper
-1 tsp Sesame Oil
-1 tsp Liquid Eggs (For Binding)
-1 tsp Cornstarch
-2-3 Cans of Chicken Broth (Depending on if you add noodles and how soupy you want your soup!)
- Packaged Won Ton Noodles (Optional!)
-Chopped Char Siu (BBQ Pork, Optional!)
-Chopped Green Onions (Optional!)

Directions:

1. Make the won ton filling by mixing the ground pork with the chopped shrimp. Add the chicken bouillon powder, oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, liquid eggs, and cornstarch. Stir thoroughly.

2. Sometimes the wrappers stick together so it might help to separate them out before you start wrapping. If you don't, just have a little cup of water ready because it helps to wet your fingers when you pick up the individual wrapper. Place about 1 tsp of the filling into the center of each wonton wrapper. Do it gently so the wrappers don't rip! Then gather the corners together and squeeze so the filling stays inside. Plate them.

3. If you aren't ready to do the cooking quite yet, put some cling wrap over the plate of ready to go uncooked won tons and put them in the fridge. When you're ready to cook, separate out whatever you plan to cook and freezer bag anything you want to freeze for another time.

4. Prepare a large pot of water and bring to a boil on high before slowly putting the won tons into the water. Stir often to prevent them from getting stuck together! Once they float to the top, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about four minutes. pull a couple out to check that the meat is cooked thoroughly before removing the won tons from the water.

5. Prepare chicken broth in a small pot and ladle broth over the won tons. Garnish or add any optional items and serve!

Makes 4-6 servings depending on appetite and optional extras.

Hope you enjoy!