#335_Fried Wonton

These are deep fried wontons

My Fried Wontons and my Fried Lumpia Shanghai share the same fillings. The difference between the two are the appearance or the style in wrapping them and the wrappers used...."wonton skins" for the Wontons and "lumpia wrappers" for the lumpia. They are both wrappers but the wonton skins are thicker than the the ones for lumpia.

Wonton skins are available in both regular stores and Asian stores, but there's hardly a regular store that carry Lumpia Wrappers so you have to make a trip to an Asian store if you want to use them.

For Fillings, click on the link below....
http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/lumpia-shanghai-or-eggrolls.html
There are many different ways to wrap and fold wontons.

Here's a link which gives you different styles
of wrapping and folding wontons, click here.

For the style I used to fold my wontons, click on the link below.
http://www.chow.com/food-news/55419/how-to-fold-dumplings/

Steamed wontons

A famous restaurant here in Salt Lake serves these as an appetizer. Actually the owner came on a tv show one time and showed how they make them at his restaurant. They pan-fry these wontons in oil until browned then pour some water into the pan, cover it and let it steam for about 10 minutes. (Some cooks drop the wontons in a boiling water).

Here's the finished product of the pan-fried steamed wontons.

                             After steaming, they are drained on paper towels

Whether these are deep fried or pan fried, they are always a hit whenever I serve them at family gatherings.

For homemade Dipping Sauce or Saw-sawan recipe, click here.

Enjoy!!

#234_Ukoy or Shrimp-Vegetable Fritters

Ukoy is a very popular kind of fritter in the Philippines. It is usually made of bean sprouts, grated squash, grated carrots, shrimps. The vegetables used vary from one region to another or even varies from one kitchen to another. I learned from some facebook friends that in Pampanga they use grated green papaya in place of bean sprouts which I have yet to try.


The other day I saw some shrimp fries at the Filipino store which made me nostalgic, because in Pangasinan where I grew up shrimps and shrimp fries abound. I haven't seen shrimp fries in 25 years. That's probably one reason why I used shrimp fries in this recipe instead of shrimps because I had to buy a package of this. Unfortunately they are not the fresh kind which I was accustomed to use in making Ukoy when I was back home. So, I settled with these dried ones called "daing na alamang" in Tagalog. I had to rinsed them in water to subdue the strong "dried fish" smell. I made do, but the fresh ones are way better to use for Ukoy.

Ukoy
Vegetable/shrimp Fritters

Batter for Ukoy

2/3 cup flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tbsp. baking powder

2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix everything in a bowl then throw in the prepared veggies.
add in peeled shrimps


Suggested Veggies
mix and match:

Grated carrots, onion, juliened, bean sprouts, grated Squash, grated potato, grated sweet potato.

To fry the Ukoy or Fritters:

Heat some canola oil in a dutch oven or heavy skillet. Ladle some of the mixture in a saucer, then carefully slide it into the hot oil (hot, but not smoking hot). Fry each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain fried Ukoy on paper towels. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

For my Dipping Sauce Recipe click here.

#225_ Lumpiang Bangus (Bangus Egg Rolls)

Fried Bangus Lumpia or Egg Rolls
with home made dipping sauce

Bangus, or milk fish is considered the Philippines national fish
and it is known for its milky flavor, thus milk fish.

Bangus...fried then flaked

A FB friend, Shirley, gave me the idea to make egg rolls with bangus fillings. I've never heard of such a thing before, even though I came from a city where Bangus not only abound but also a city where you can find the best Bangus in the country. (you're welcome to read an article about it here).

Egg Roll Fillings:

For the fillings, I used some boneless bangus which are now available in Filipino and Asian stores, but because they are so expensive I combined some ground pork with the fillings to serve as an extender.

Saute garlic in a little canola oil over medium heat, then add the onions and the ground pork. Saute until the pork is no longer pink. Season with salt or patis (fish sauce) and freshly cracked pepper. Cover and let simmer until meat is tender. Add the cooked and flaked fish then saute for a few minutes.

Turn off the heat then add the carrots, celery, raisins. Mix well.
Drain the mixture in a colander and let it cool completely before wrapping.
To see the steps in wrapping egg rolls, click here.

To avoid sogginess, fried lumpias or egg rolls must
be stacked upright on paper towels to drain the oil.
Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce Recipe:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsp patis ( fish sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. chili garlic sauce*
1/3 cup grated carrots

Combine water, sugar and vinegar in a sauce pan. Bring up to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to medium low then let it simmer until the mixture becomes syrupy. Turn off the heat and add the patis (fish sauce), garlic, Chili Garlic Sauce and grated carrots. Stir to blend all ingredients together.
This dipping sauce can be made ahead of time. Place the sauce in a jar then refrigerate until ready to use.

Note from MaMely:
*Chili Garlic Sauce is a very concentrated sauce. If you're not into spicy stuff, start with even less than 1/8 tsp. then add more as you desire.