Homemade Shrimp Wontons with Spicy Sauce Recipe – Celebrating Chinese New Year!
I just love a reason to celebrate with my family and friends, don’t you? Even though we just rang in New Year a few weeks ago, it’s time to revel again…this time to welcome in the auspicious Year of the Dragon for Chinese New Year!
I can’t tell you exactly how long we have been going to China Gourmet, but the restaurant was started in 1978 by the much loved restauranteur Bing Moy, and it’s now run by his oh-so capable and charming son, Tenley. It’s still the “go to” place for the BEST Chinese food, prepared to your specifications, a fact that patrons absolutely love…you don’t want onions, no problem, tofu instead of shrimp, no problem at all.
I think Dana was about 6 months old when she made her first trip. She even invited Mrs. Moy to one of her birthday parties when she was a little girl. It’s that kind of place; families feel comfortable there…young couples on their first date sit along side others celebrating 50 years together.
I recently asked Tenley if he would share a recipe with me so we could all celebrate the Chinese New Year. He thought that this classic appetizer would be a tasty dish, simple enough for us all to prepare. Tenley calls them wontons, I call them savory pillows of perfection. Either way, even though Chinese New Year is tomorrow, January 23rd, we’re having these as part of our Sunday Supper celebration tonight.
Make it special, make it Sunday.
Homemade Wontons with Spicy Sauce
Yield: 4 - 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
A wonderful combination of savory and spicy! Guaranteed to wake up your appetite!
Ingredients:
For the Wontons
Large pot of boiling water.
1/3 pound raw shrimp, washed, deveined, tails removed and finely minced.
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash salt and white pepper
1 egg (for egg wash)For the Sauce
1/4 cup thin (light) soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Accent
(Accent is a flavor enhancer used in Asian cooking, it's also known as MSG)
1 or 2 tablespoons (depending of how much heat you like) hot chili oilGarnish
2 scallions (green onions), slicedDirections:
Wontons:
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
Wash the shrimp, remove the tails, devein and finely mince.
To the shrimp, add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, dash of salt and white pepper.Whisk the egg, and brush the wontons lightly on one side. (This is what is going to seal the wontons).
Evenly divide the shrimp mixture onto the middle of the wontons. Fold them to make a triangle. Press the edges together. Let dry for 10 minutes.Sauce:
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Accent, and chili pepper with oil.
Place wontons into boiling water and cook until done (about 4 minutes, when the wontons start to float). Remove with slotted spoon.
Serve immediately with the sauce and scallions (green onions) as a garnish.
Enjoy!
In our hectic world, most of us can't commit to having dinner with our family/friends every night, but maybe we can start to put aside Sunday to be together and share our lives and good food. Let's join together to inspire others to celebrate our old traditions and create new ones. 
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) — Sunday, January 22, 2012 @ 9:28 pm
These look awesome! I love wontons, but never make my own. You make it look straight forward and simple though! I definitely want to make these. Officially bookmarked! :)
Love your site and photographs, beautiful!
Susie replied: — January 23rd, 2012 @ 11:50 am
Thanks so much for your comment Laura. Yes, these really were so very simple to make and so tasty! Enjoy! Susie
Beth Michelle — Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 10:57 am
These wantons look incredible! Your photos are so lovely too!
Susie replied: — January 23rd, 2012 @ 11:51 am
I really appreciate you commenting, thank you!
Carol Sacks — Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 11:52 am
Beautiful post, Susie! I love the photos as much as the story.
Susie replied: — January 23rd, 2012 @ 9:16 pm
Carol, We loved this dish so much that I made it again tonight! Thanks for your comment, so glad that you enjoyed the post!
Elizabeth @MyCommunalTable — Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 9:50 pm
Happy Chinese New Year. Thanks for a lovely post.
Susie replied: — January 23rd, 2012 @ 9:55 pm
Happy Chinese New Year to you too Elizabeth! Thanks for your comment!
Amanda — Thursday, January 26, 2012 @ 1:10 am
I love all things Chilli and these shrimp wontons look amazing! Your photos are beautiful too. Thanks for sharing – I will have to give these a try soon.
Susie replied: — January 26th, 2012 @ 1:10 pm
Amanda, we like Chili Oil at our house as well and find that for us, one tablespoon is just right, but I do know that some folks like it even spicier…you decide. Thanks for your kind comments.
Tis the Season for Soup – Week 6 | Optimal Body Balance — Thursday, January 26, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
[…] of pace from chicken noodle. So here’s how you make shrimp wontons… Shrimp Wontons (recipe from Return to Sunday Supper) 1/3 pound shrimp 12 wonton wrappers, defrosted 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil dash salt and pepper 1 […]
Andrea — Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ 11:21 pm
Kung Hey Fat Choy.
My family usually crossing the arms, but it’s great to see a nice and simple recipe for it. I’ll definitely use it when I get a chance! Thanks.
Susie replied: — January 30th, 2012 @ 11:11 am
Kung Hey Fat Choy to you as well! Thank you for you kind words…so glad that you like the post.
Alexa — Tuesday, February 28, 2012 @ 2:34 pm
What is “Accent” in the ingredients?
Susie replied: — February 28th, 2012 @ 2:47 pm
Thank you for your question. Accent is a flavor enhancing seasoning used mostly in Asian cuisine and it can be eliminated if you can’t find it or don’t have it in your pantry.
Jb — Tuesday, February 28, 2012 @ 7:37 pm
Accent Is MSG.
i
Susie replied: — February 28th, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
Thank you for your input. I have updated the recipe to reflect this information.
Al and Berta — Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 2:18 am
We made these because they looked so Delicious….and They WERE Delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe… ;-)
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with These Chinese New Year Treats — Thursday, February 7, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
[…] Sunday Supper’s Homemade Shrimp Wontons with Spicy Sauce Recipe – Celebrating Chinese New Year! […]
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious — Tuesday, May 28, 2013 @ 7:24 pm
I’ve made wontons once before and I couldn’t believe how doable it was! Definitely want to give your version a try – that spicy sauce sounds heavenly!
Elizabeth — Monday, June 17, 2013 @ 8:46 am
My family and I went to the China Gourmet every Sunday for a very long time with my grandparents. My younger sister Sue was good friends with Mable Moy. What wonderful memories came from there. I will try this recipe at home.
Lenore — Tuesday, June 25, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
I have to disagree with you about the MSG. Though often used in US restaurants in the past, many, if not most, US restaurants have stopped using it. It is also rare to find it in modern Chinese cookbooks. Many people are allergic to it and it doesn’t really affect the taste of the food, it actually affects your tongue.
My late mother-in-law, a well known Chinese cookbook author, always maintained that MSG was used as a cheap and fast fix instead of using broth (the traditional approach) as a flavoring ingredient. So that’s what I always do when I hit recipes using MSG – I add a bit of chicken or vegetable broth instead.
Susie replied: — June 28th, 2013 @ 10:49 am
I appreciate that you took the time to comment about MSG. Thank you for giving us a different perspective on the use of MSG and what you substitute for it.
melpy — Wednesday, February 12, 2014 @ 11:29 am
Made this last night but steamed the dumplings in my bamboo steamer. They were delicious. I had never used MSG before. It was pretty inexpensive so I bought it. I won’t make a habit out of it but I want to try it in a few dishes that I make typically to see if it tastes more like the restaurant.