Wontons In Chilli Broth, by Jeremy Pang

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When it comes to learning about Chinese pastries, wontons are the best starting point. The pastry  comes ready-made, either fresh or frozen in most  Oriental supermarkets, and is very much like an egg  pasta – made from egg, a medium- to high-gluten  wheat flour (similar to plain flour), hot water and oil. The method of folding below creates a shape much like a gold ingot (pre-20th century Chinese currency) and it is said that if you can fold your wontons in such a shape, you are giving your friends and family plenty of good wealth for years to come!

This recipe is extracted from Chinese Cooking, by Jeremy Pang

Ingredients for Wontons in Chilli Broth

20 fresh wonton wrappers
150g raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined then finely diced
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for at least 2 hours
2 leaves of Chinese leaf, finely chopped
10-15 Chinese chives
large handful of coriander, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
teaspoon sugar
For the broth: 200ml chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chiu Chow chilli oil

How to make prawn wontons

Put all the filing ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together well.
With a wonton pastry positioned diamond-wise, put a small amount of filling in the middle. Fold the bottom corner up over to meet the top one, covering the filling to make a little pouch, shaped like a triangle.
Now, rotate the folded triangle-shaped dumpling so the longest 'point' is facing downwards. Pinch up the two 'side' points so they meet and touch each other over the top of your filling.
Set aside, repeat with the rest of the pastries and the filling. Put all the wontons into a large, deep heatproof bowl that will fit into your wok on a steamer stand.
For the broth, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan, then stir in the oyster sauce and chilli oil. Pour the broth over the wontons.
Set the wok and steam up and fill with boiling water to halfway up the sides. Put the wonton bowl in the wok, cover with a lid and steam for 6-8 minutes.