Shrimp Wontons

Blame it on the holiday season, but I haven't had much time to cook lately--endless Christmas parties and gift shopping have made my days completely occupied. However, I have to confess that I have been sort of procrastinating in kitchen chores too. Well, I guess you just have to cut me some slack; after all, it's that time of year again, so I am merely having fun outside of my kitchen. That being said, I haven't totally gone missing in action in terms of cooking. I rummaged through my fridge today and found some leftover wonton skins (remember those fried wontons I made a few weeks ago?) and whipped up these boiled shrimp dumplings with two dipping sauces: ginger vinegar and garlic chili. They were simply delicious. And while I am at this, I would like to warn you of lighter posts in the coming two weeks as I am just going to take things slow during this festive season (and you should, too!). Shrimp Wontons Recipe Ingredients: 3/4 lb shrimp (shelled and deveined) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon oil 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 teaspoons corn starch 3 sprigs coriander (leaves only, minced) 2 water chestnuts, peeled and finely chopped White pepper powder to taste 1/2 beaten egg (for sealing wontons) Coarsely chop shrimp into pieces (not too small) and mix well with the above seasonings. Set aside. Fill each wonton skin with 1 heaping teaspoon of filling and seal the wonton skin with the beaten egg. Boil the wontons in boiling water for a couple of minutes or until they start floating. Serve hot with ginger vinegar dipping sauce and/or garlic chili sauce. Ginger Vinegar Dipping Sauce Recipe Ingredients: 2 teaspoons peeled, grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of dark vinegar 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion Mix the above ingredients and set aside. Garlic Chili Sauec Recipe Ingredients: 4 garlic cloves 8 dry red chilies (minced) 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger Salt to taste Blend the above ingredients and stir fry them with oil until fragrant. Set aside.