Simple Dins Dins...

This week is the launch of atCatharines on Friday 22nd July 2011. I am super busy at work and not to mention up to my eyeballs in getting organised for this Friday. I ordered the lamb shanks this morning from Walter Rose butchers and they are delivering tomorrow. I am not going to tell you the menu and spoil it for my guests but if you follow the next few blogs you might have an inkling...shhhhhh...

I managed to make it to my local supermarket, pick up a few ingredients for dinner and also some ingredients for a drink I am welcoming my guests with this Friday. Time is really tight so I decided to make simple dins dins using some ingredients I already have and same ingredients for two different dishes. I am working late tomorrow and thank god my husband is very self sufficient (in fact a better cook than I am, don't tell him that, he will get big headed) so I only had to cook for tonight and Thursday night.

I picked up a packet of minced pork, a packet of raw tiger prawns, a packet of red chillies, 2 packets of coriander (buy 2 for £1.00, sucker for bargains) and a bunch of spring onions which comes to about around £6.50. I decided to make Wontons for tonight and then a Thai glass noodle salad on Thursday evening. These two dishes use all the ingredients above but taste completely different.

Today I am going to show you Wontons. Simple and can be made in advance or when you don't have much time. Wontons are little parcels usually filled with meat. You can have wontons in a broth or deep fried. In my hometown, Wontons Soup is a famous and common dish. There are 2 types, broth wontons noodles or 'dry' wonton noodles. The 'dry' type consists of a plate of egg noodles that has been tossed in soya sauce sometimes topped with 'char siu' (Chinese BBQ Pork) and a bowl of wontons on the side. The broth ones has noodles and wontons together in a bowl and as the name suggests it comes with a light broth.

In this blog, I am going to teach you to make the Wontons in a light broth.  You can serve it as main course or as a starter.

Wonton Fillings (Makes around 37 wontons)
200g minced pork
70g diced raw prawns
3 tablespoons soya sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
2 tablespoon of cornflour
(Mix all of the above and set aside at least for 1/2 hour)
Note: The cornflour should bind all ingredients together and should look like this

Stock and other stuff
1 pack Wonton skins (thaw if frozen, takes 1/2 hour)
1 egg (lightly beaten, set aside)
1 stock cube
1 litre water (enough for 20 wontons, I am freezing 17 wontons)
2 sliced spring onions
1 teaspoon sesame oil


Method:
1) Hold your palm flat. Take a piece of the wonton skin and put it onto your palm. Put a small dollop of filling in the middle. Dip your finger into the egg mixture and wipe it around the outer edges of the skin
2) Close your palm gently, give it a squeeze to bind the filling to the skin. Repeat on all the skins. Set aside. Note:If this is not done properly, the filling will fall out from the skin. 
3) Heat 1 litre water with 1 chicken stock cube, wait till stock boils
4) Drop the wontons gently into the boiling stock
5) The wontons take 6 minutes to cook
6) Dish up, sprinkle with spring onions, 1 tsp sesame oil

I ate these while watching TV and on the sofa. My mum will be mortified! I only use half of the raw ingredients I bought at the supermarket. I will be making my Thai Glass Noodle Salad on Thursday with the rest of the ingredients and include the recipe on the next blog :) Righto shower and then bed time. Night night fellow readers.