chānchánchǎnchàn

¹

Chilled Wontons with  Peanut-Vinegar Sauce
by Molly Chen

Serves 5-6

FILLILNG

350g grounded pork, 

1 bunch shanghainese  greens (bok choy’s fine),  1 large egg,

2 tablespoons oyster sauce,  1 teaspoon white pepper,  2 teaspoons salt, 

2 teaspoons sugar, 

1 garlic clove, 

4 slices of ginger,

3 stalks of green onions 

WRAP

x30 shanghainese 

wonton wrappers 

(~ 2 packs)

SAUCE

1/2 cup peanut butter or  sesame sauce, 

1/4 cup Ching Kiang vinegar,  1 tablespoon chili oil, 

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil




Chilled wontons are what we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in 30-degree summers in Shanghai.  The wonton wrappers are extra smoother after being chilled in cold water, and with a peanuty-tangy  sauce, it brings back all the appetite. 

As I stood in front of the veggie aisle in SeeWoo at Chinatown, I recalled the traditional greens used  in the filing is a type called Ji Cai (荠菜). It’s not the most used greens so I wasn’t even sure what it  looks like. It does have a particular herby and bitter taste though as I recalled. I naively hoped that it  was in front of me somewhere so I googled - no, it’s a green that grows in the wild, on the side of 

streets, and yes, I used to pick them in parks with my mom when I was little. Isn’t it so precious? A  wild green still being used as a main ingredient in a time of abundance and all things organic. A habit  that certainly grew out of the famine years in the 1900s, which was also a time when people were  brought back to the purest relationship with the nature - not to think of what we can grow out of it, but  to appreciate everything that the nature gives. The history has passed, but in the form of Ji Cai, we  acknowledge and thank for the nature for what they are, and are always reminded of our position. 

(1) Make ‘spice water’: Smash 1 garlic clove, thinly  slice 4 pieces of ginger, chop the green parts of the  green onions. Combine them in a small bowl, pour 2  cups hot water, stir slightly, set aside, let the smell  emerge and infuse into the water. 

(2) Make the filling: 

• Place the grounded pork in a bowl, add oyster  sauce, white pepper, salt, and sugar, mix well  with a fork. 

• Add a large egg, mix well again. 

• Add the ‘spice water’, 2 tablespoons each  time and mix well before you add again. Add  in total of approximately 10 tablespoons. 

• Finely chop the greens. Squeeze the water  out of chopped greens by hands. Use 0.8:1  greens to pork portion. Mix well. 

(3) Wrap the wontons: see instructions next page. 

(4) Boil a pot of water. Add wontons in when it’s  actually boiled. Be patient so that you wontons don’t  stick to the bottom of pot!

(5) Prepare a pot of cold water. Transfer the cooked  wontons into this pot and let them sit for ~3 minutes  until they are lukewarm. Get the wontons out and  drain with a colander if available. 

(6) While waiting for the wontons to be ready, make  the sauce: 

• Place peanut butter or sesame sauce into a  medium bowl, add 2 tablespoons vinegar  each time, stir hard, mix well. The peanut  butter or sesame sauce should absorb the  liquid but also get looser. 
• Add chill oil and sesame oil in a similar way.
• When all sauced stirred in, add 1/4 cup  water into the mix. Mix evenly. The texture  should be drippable but not watery. 

(7) Assemble: either drip a heavy layer of sauce on  top of wontons or place a layer at the bottom of  wontons. Do latter if you want to taste more of the  wonton filings. 


冷馄饨配花生醋蘸酱


5-6人份


馄饨馅


350克猪肉馅

一把上海青(Boy Choy可以替代)

一个大号鸡蛋

两勺蚝油

一勺白胡椒粉

两勺盐

两勺糖

一头蒜

四片姜

三捆葱


馄饨皮


30张上海馄饨皮(两包)





半杯花生酱或芝麻酱

四分之一杯镇江香醋

一勺辣椒油

四分之一杯芝麻香油





在上海30度的夏天里,我们早饭,午饭,晚饭都会吃冷馄饨。馄饨皮在冷水中冰过后会更光滑,再加上花生香味浓郁的蘸酱,十分开胃。


当我站在中国城泗和(SeeWoo)超市的蔬菜货架前,我回想起传统的馄饨馅里用的蔬菜叫荠菜。因为它不是一种常用的蔬菜,我甚至都不确定荠菜长什么样。但回忆起来它确实有一种独特的,药材般的苦味。我天真的以为它会在我面前的货架上,所以我搜索了一下,才发现,不,它是一种长在野地和路边的野菜,而且确实,小时候我会和妈妈一起去公园里摘荠菜。这难道不是很少见的吗?在这样一个物质富足,所有东西都追求有机的年代,一种野菜还被用作主要的食材。这明显是从饥荒年代流传下来的习惯,那也是人们被带回到与自然最纯粹的关系中的时候——不是去想我们能从中得到什么,而是去感激大自然给予的一切。历史已经过去,但借由荠菜,我们承认和感恩自然本来的面目,并谨记我们自己的位置。



(1)制作“调料水”:将1个蒜瓣拍碎,4片姜切成薄片,将大葱的绿色部分切成葱花。将它们放在一个小碗中,倒入2杯热水,稍微搅拌,放在一边,让水中入味。

(2)制作馄饨馅:

将猪肉糜放入碗中,加入蚝油、白胡椒粉、盐和糖,用叉子拌匀。

加入一个大鸡蛋,再次拌匀。

加入“调料水”,每次2汤匙,混合均匀后再加入。总共加入大约10汤匙。

把荠菜切碎。用手从切碎的荠菜中挤出水分。以0.8:1的比例混合猪肉和荠菜。搅拌均匀。




(3)包馄饨:见底部说明。


(4)煮一锅开水。水开后放入馄饨。要耐心以免馄饨粘锅!


(5)准备一壶凉水。将煮好的馄饨转移到冷水锅里,静置大约3分钟直到变温。取出馄饨,用漏勺沥干水分。


(6)在等待馄饨煮好的同时,制作酱汁:

将花生酱或芝麻酱放入中等大小的碗中,每次加入2汤匙醋,用力搅拌直至均匀。花生酱或芝麻酱应该会在吸收液体后变得更稀。

用相同的方法加入辣椒油和芝麻油。

当所有的酱汁都搅拌好后,加入1/4杯水。混合均匀。

最后的酱料应该呈糊状而不是水状。



(7)装盘:可以在馄饨的上面浇一层很厚的酱,或者将馄饨放在酱料上面。如果想要尝到更多馄饨馅的味道,请选择后者。