Turkey-stuffed Wonton Noodle Pastry with Red Oil Dressing
Whether you cook them with turkey, vegan mince, or tofu, these Chinese-inspired stuffed wontons make for a mouthwatering snack. Serve them as an appetiser alongside some red oil chilli for dipping.
From the book
The Noodle Cookbook
A collection of flavour-packed noodle recipes for every occasion
From Japanese-inspired ramen to plant-based noodle stir-fries
With advice on noodle varieties and store cupboard essentials
Introduction
A world away from your mum’s (admittedly brilliant) Christmas dinner. This celebration dish from Hong Kong gives the festive bird an exotic twist. Get some friends round and give them these noodle-wrapped dumplings, which locals call sai yun – meaning small and silky.
Ingredients
| plain flour, for dusting | |
| 1 | egg yolk |
| 12–14 | wonton noodle/pastry wrappers |
| For the filling: | |
| 115g (4oz) | minced (ground) turkey (or use vegan mince or firm tofu, finely chopped, for a vegetarian alternative) |
| ½ | spring onion (scallion), finely sliced |
| 1 tsp | ginger paste, or 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped |
| 1 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | fish sauce (or use light soy sauce or Mr Lee’s Vegan ‘Fish’ Sauce for a vegan alternative) |
| For Mr Lee's Vegan "Fish" Sauce: | |
| ½ tsp | agave syrup |
| 30ml (1fl oz) | water |
| 30ml (1fl oz) | pineapple juice |
| 30ml (1fl oz) | light soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free alternative) |
| ½ - 1 tsp | sea salt, to taste |
| For Mr Lee's Red Chilli Oil: | |
| 2 tbsp | dried chilli flakes |
| ½ tbsp | paprika |
| ½ tsp | Chinese five-spice powder |
| ¼ tsp | sea salt |
| 2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
Method
For Mr Lee’s Vegan “Fish” Sauce
Simply place all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix together until well combined. This will keep for a week in the fridge.
For Mr Lee’s Red Chilli Oil
Place the chilli flakes, paprika, five-spice powder and salt in a heatproof bowl and mix well.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat until hot, but don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat and pour the oil into the bowl with the dried ingredients. Stir, then leave to cool for 5 minutes, and it’s ready to use. It will keep for a month in a sterilised jar.
For the wontons
In a bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients. Use your hands to really squish it all together.
Prepare your work surface by dusting it with flour. Lightly whisk the egg yolk in a small cup. Separate the sheets of wonton pastry on to the floured surface and cover with a damp cloth or a plastic bag.
Lay a sheet of pastry in the palm of your hand and place a teaspoon of the filling mixture in the centre. Brush the whisked egg yolk on to one corner of the pastry, then fold the pastry from the opposite corner to form a triangle, squeezing lightly to seal. Put a bit more egg on to the two newly formed corners and fold these corners together, squeezing them together with your finger and thumb, under the chin of the dumpling and forming a tortellini-like shape. You’ve made your first wonton! First, allow yourself a little victory lap around the kitchen, then back to work. These wontons aren’t going to make themselves.
Place the filled wonton on the floured surface, and repeat with the next wonton wrapper. Keep going until you’ve used up all the filling. If you want to freeze your wontons, lay them on a floured tray or in a wide container, then cover and place in the freezer. Once they’ve frozen, they can be bagged together.
To cook the wontons, half-fill a large saucepan with boiling water and place it over a high heat. Bring it to a rolling boil, then carefully put in your wontons into the water and let them bobble about for around 4 minutes. Gently lift the wontons from the water using a slotted spoon and lay in a large bowl or plate. Drizzle with red chilli oil and serve immediately.
