Crispy lamb wontons

Tam West

The Moon Festival happens mid-September and you may have noticed Asian grocers, and many larger supermarkets, starting to sell mooncakes. The Moon Festival is a celebration that is also mirrored in the Japanese festival Tsukimi, which is also celebrating the moon at its brightest and fullest. For Korea it is Korean Thanksgiving, and the common ritual between all of these is that you must return home and see your family, just like the complete moon. In Chinese custom, going home for Moon Festival means making dumplings with your family so you can all chat and catch up while folding up yummy parcels. I have switched dumplings out for crunchy wontons which me and my friends love to make and eat. I use lamb as a base ingredient but you can use all sorts of ingredients for wontons.

Ingredients

100 g	Lamb mince (Main)
1	Egg, beaten
1	Spring onion, chopped
1 clove	Garlic, chopped
1 tsp	Soy sauce
¼ tsp	Sesame oil
1 pinch	White pepper
1 pinch	Salt
20	Wonton wrappers (Main)
20	Chives, blanched, optional
1 bottle	Sweet chilli sauce, for serving

Directions

1. Mix the mince, ¼ of the egg (save the rest for sealing the wontons), spring onion, garlic, soy, sesame oil, pepper and salt together in a bowl.
2. Place a small amount of filling on the centre of each wonton wrapper.
3. Seal each one by wetting the inner side of the wonton wrapper with some beaten egg and, using your thumb and index finger, squeezing the wonton together around the filling. Tie each with a blanched chive if you like.
4. Deep fry them in 175C oil for 3-4 minutes until they float, are golden brown and crispy.
5. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve with sweet chili sauce.

Pantry note

Read more about wonton wrappershere.