Crispy Goat Cheese Wontons with Chili Dipping Sauce

I'm going to be visiting my Dad and his wife in North Carolina for a few days, so this will be my last post till early next week.  As usual I'm going through the fridge to try and clear it out a little before I leave.  I bought the won ton wrappers a while ago, and thought I'd give them a try.  We started ordering cream cheese wontons with our Chinese take out when our kids were very little.  It was one of the few sure fire things we knew they'd eat.  Since then the whole family has become addicted to these crispy little dumplings filled with creamy cheese.  I don't think they're particularly authentic, but  they sure are good.

I used goat cheese for a little different flavor, and spiked the dipping sauce with chili.

Once you have the basic Asian condiments in your kitchen you can throw together all kinds of interesting and varied sauces on a whim.  I would say the bare minimum to keep around includes soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, some kind of hot chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and a knob of ginger in the freezer so you can grate a little off any time you need it.  My method is to use a little of this and a little of that, tasting as I go.   I decided to go spicy with this sauce since the wontons are mild.  Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce would go great with these, too.

These fry up in about a minute in an inch or two of hot oil.  You can add minced crab, shrimp, or lobster for a special occasion, or just add some scallion or chili peppers to the cheese.

The wonton wrappers have a wonderful pliable texture which makes them simple to work with.  Just place a small amount of filling in the center, and run a wet finger around the edges of the wrapper. Then fold it over, corner to corner and press the edges to seal.  The moisture binds the seal.

Then just bring up the two ends and overlap them, sealing with a another dab of water.

I made mine the day before and stored them in the refrigerator.

Crispy Goat Cheese Wontons
vegetable oil for frying
wonton wrappers
goat cheese (or cream cheese)

• Heat two inches of oil in a 2 qt saucepan to about 350 degrees.
• put a small dab of goat cheese in the center of each wonton wrapper.  Run a wet finger around the edge and fold the wonton in half diagonally.  Press with your fingers to seal the dough.
• Bring the two outer corners up and overlap them, sealing with a bit of water.  You can also leave the wontons in a triangle shape, if you prefer.  
• Drop the wontons in the hot oil and let fry for about a minute to a minute and a half, just until they are golden and crispy.  Flip them halfway through.  Drain on a paper towel.

 

Spicy Dipping Sauce

2 parts  soy sauce (I always buy Tamari soy sauce)

1 part rice wine vinegar

1 part sesame oil

1/2 part hot chili sauce

1/2 part honey

sesame seeds for garnish

• Mix everything together and serve in small bowls for dipping.  

This isn't one of those times when I'm going to tell you to make a dinner out of these.  I'm not that crazy.  But we loved them, and they're going onto my roster of appetizers for sure.  When I get back I'm going to play with these some more.
See you next week!