Spiced Turkey Wontons
It’s been 2 weeks since my last blog post. That almost feels like a lifetime ago. In the last 14 days, we’ve left the house maybe 3 times, filled the freezer with more buns than 2 people should eat in a month, and watched more CNN than I’ve ever watched in my life. Two weeks ago I was still very anxious, but reading my last post and remember how I really felt, it almost feels lighthearted compared to how I feel now.
It’s hard to put into words. I’m so worried about everything. For a few days I felt paralyzed. Unsure of how to move forward with my work. Missing my friends and family. Scared of going outside. I’m a hardcore homebody, but I miss outside life. I miss going to the grocery store with paranoia. I miss sitting down at our favorite restaurants on Friday nights. We’ve been self-quarantining for a little longer than the SF and California Shelter-In-Place, so our cabin fever is a little more extreme.
I’m thankful we both still have our work and our families are still healthy. Both my parents, in Ohio, still have to go to work despite their Shelter-In-Place, because my Mom works in healthcare and my Dad is feeding people. So I’m worrying about them CONSTANTLY. PLEASE STAY INSIDE IF YOU CAN AND KEEP THE PEOPLE THAT MUST CONTINUE WORKING SAFE. PLEASE.
Ok. My spiral is temporarily over! I developed this Spiced Turkey Wonton recipe a few weeks back, before groceries were harder to come by. The warm spices are so comforting. Wontons have that effect though, no matter the flavor. The turkey is light and soaks up all the flavor from the parsley and spices. The hint of green brightens your day and the folds of the wonton are excellent for holding all that chili oil! Making your own homemade wontons, wrappers at all, is a definitely a project. But don’t we have extra time these days? Also, if you find pre-made wrappers… USE THEM. Do what you gotta do!
I’ve also included some substitutions below for the filling. It’s like a choose your own adventure wonton!
Homemade Wonton Wrappers
These are a project. But when I’m stressed out, I love me a good hours long kitchen task, especially if it involves carbs. Wonton dough is not the same as my everyday dumpling dough. Different dumplings have different wrapper textures. For pan fried dumplings, I like a thicker and chewier dough. For wontons, you want very thin and tender dough.
Dumpling wrappers are essentially flour and water. Just like pasta dough. The ratios of the ingredients change everything. The less water you have the chewier the dough will be. So for a more tender wonton dough, I’ve slightly reduced the water and compensated with an egg for a more tender texture.
Here is what you need for the dough. For the green dough, use spinach and see the note at the end of the recipe
10z (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
4oz (1/2 cup) warm water
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and warm water (see note for green dough below) in a small bowl until combined. Add the egg and water mixture to the flour and mix the flour using a pair of chopsticks or a fork. Once you have a shaggy dough, start kneading with your hands. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If the dough sticks, dust with a little flour. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, uncover the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Take one portion of dough and roll it out into a roughly 3”x6” rectangle, about ¼” thick. Dust the dough with flour or cornstarch so it doesn’t stick. Either using a pasta roller or patiently with a large rolling pin, roll out the dough until very thin. On a pasta machine, I go to setting 5 or 6 at the thinnest. Place the rolled out dough on your work surface and allow it to slightly dry out (makes forming wontons easier) while you roll out the rest of your dough.
Cut the dough into 3” squares and get folding!
Dumpling Filling Substitutions
Resources are limited right now, just we gotta use what you can find. You can make a dumpling with just about anything. If you don’t have ground turkey, fresh herbs, or spices, don’t worry. I got you covered. Below are some substitutions that will still make an excellent dumpling filling! And if you ever have questions, always feel free to email me or DM me!
1 lb protein - ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, ground lambs, heck, even ground elk will work. If you can’t find ground meat, you can also quickly process shrimp or cubed chicken breast or thighs in a food processor. Quickly! You don’t want it to be gummy. Crumbled tofu will work too!
1/2 cup aromatics - this recipe calls for caramelized onions, but you can also use raw chopped scallions, leeks, or shallots.
1-2 cups vegetables - okay, I don’t really have vegetables in this recipe but parsley sort of counts. You can add shredded cabbage, carrots, hearty greens, sweet potato, mushrooms, and more. If you’re adding it to a meat based filling, you can add them in raw. Make sure they are finely chopped. If adding to a tofu base filling, cook the veggies first to cook off the excess water in the vegetables.
Seasoning - Always add salt and pepper. Start with 1/2 tsp salt and a heavy dash of white or black pepper. If you don’t have soy sauce, add a little more salt. If you don’t have the spices listed, you can add flavor with sesame oil, Sriracha, sambal, fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, and any other brown or red sauce.
You got this!
Spiced Turkey Wontons
makes about 60 wontons
Wonton Wrappers:
10z (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 cups packed spinach - option for green dough
4oz (1/2 cup) warm water
flour and/or cornstarch for dusting
Spiced Turkey Filling:
1 small yellow onion
1lb ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp red chili flake
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp soy sauce
steps:
Start by caramelizing the onions, because that takes some time. Slice the onion into thin crescents. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onions and toss to coat the onions in oil. Continue to cook the onions over medium heat for 40-50 minutes, tossing every few minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Turn down the heat slightly if they start to burn or brown too quickly. Turn off heat and allow the onions to cool.
While the onions are caramelizing, make the wonton dough. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and warm water (see note for green dough below) in a small bowl until combined. Add the egg and water mixture to the flour and mix the flour using a pair of chopsticks or a fork. Once you have a shaggy dough, start kneading with your hands. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If the dough sticks, dust with a little flour. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, make your filling. Combine turkey, parsley, cumin, ginger, red chili flake, brown sugar, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, and caramelized onions into a bowl. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Cover and set in the fridge until ready to fill dumplings.
Once the dough has rested, uncover the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Take one portion of dough and roll it out into a roughly 3”x6” rectangle, about ¼” thick. Dust the dough with flour or cornstarch so it doesn’t stick. Either using a pasta roller or patiently with a large rolling pin, roll out the dough until very thin. On a pasta machine, I go to setting 5 or 6 at the thinnest. Place the rolled out dough on your work surface and allow it to slightly dry out (makes forming wontons easier) while you roll out the rest of your dough.
Working with your first portion of dough first, so the rest of the dough has time to slightly dry out, cut the dough into 3” square pieces.
Have a cup of water on the side for sealing the dumplings.
Place a wonton wrapper in your non-dominant hand so that it is oriented like a square. Add about 1 tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper. Dab a little water along the top edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to form a rectangle. Press the edges tightly. With the folded edge of the rectangle facing towards your finger tips, use your middle finger to create a little indent in the center of the wonton. Dab the 2 ends of the wonton and fold them together so that they touch. Pinch the ends tightly and you've made a wonton! Place wontons on a lightly floured tray or plate.
Boil the wontons in batches, you don't want to crowd your pot, for 4 to 5 minutes. They should float to the top when ready. Scoop them out of the water when ready and drain.
Serve immediately. For each portion of wontons, toss with a splash of chili oil, soy sauce, and Chinese black vinegar. Or serve in soup!
Green Dough: For green wonton wrappers, puree spinach with warm water. Pour the spinach puree through a fine mesh sieve and into bowl. Press the spinach water through the sieve until you have 4oz or 1/2 cup of spinach water. Continue with recipe as instructed and reserve spinach for another recipe or add to the dumpling filling.
Freezing Instructions: Place formed raw dumplings on a baking tray. Place in the freezer, uncover, and freeze for 1-2 hours until solid. Toss the wontons in a ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months. Boil the wontons as you would fresh wontons, just cook for an extra 4-5 minutes.