LAST BITE

from BBC Good Food ME - December 2022

STARS OF THE SHOW

Winter wontons

Good Food reader Nick Medhurst shares a recipe he discovered while living and working in Vietnam

photograph MIKE ENGLISH

Having lived in Vietnam for many years and owning a restaurant there, I’ve learned a lot about the cuisine. My wife’s mum taught me her method for making wontons, and I’ve since created my own version by adding chopped seafood to the filling. I make Mum’s wontons in broth using my recipe, below, for our family’s Christmas starter – everyone loves them.

Wontons in broth

SERVES 4 PREP 40 mins COOK 30 mins MORE EFFORT

P

100g prawns, peeled and deveined 140g pork mince (see tip, right) 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp cornflour 1 egg, beaten 3 garlic cloves, finely grated 3 spring onions, white and green parts separated, white parts finely chopped and green parts sliced 40 shop-bought wonton wrappers 1.2 litres chicken stock 2 pak choi, quartered lengthways and steamed (optional)

1 Put the prawns in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Combine the prawn paste, pork mince, soy sauce, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, the cornflour, egg, garlic, white parts of the spring onion, 1/2 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. 2 Spoon about 1 tsp of the filling into the centre of each wonton wrapper. Working with one wrapper at a time, dampen the edge using a little water and fold it in half over the filling to enclose and form a half-moon shape, then dampen one corner and bring it around to meet the other corner and pinch to seal. Repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers and filling. 3 Bring 1 litre of water to the boil. Carefully lower in the filled wontons in batches and cook for about 3 mins per batch, or until cooked through. Lift out the cooked wontons into a bowl using a slotted spoon, setting them aside while you cook the rest. 4 Bring the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Add the remaining sesame oil and stir well. Divide the wontons between bowls, then pour over the broth. Add the green parts of the spring onions and pak choi, if using.

GOOD TO KNOW low fat • folate • iron PER SERVING 386 kcals • fat 8g • saturates 2g • carbs 49g • sugars 2g • fibre 3g • protein 28g • salt 4.1g