The last time my parents took the family to Hong Kong was in 1997, to witness the return of Hong Kong. My father took us to Kowloon, where he grew up. He even ran to an alley by himself to find his favorite wonton stall when he was a child. When he came back, he looked very satisfied, which made me very greedy.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding him, he seemed remarkably calm.Wontons in Soupthe power of.
In Hong Kong, you canFine DiningIt can be found in many places, such as Beijing, or, more often, as a light meal, as in Chinatowns around the world. Perhaps because of its commonness, it is rarely eaten during special occasions such as Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on January 22, marking the Year of the Rabbit.
in my opinion,WontonThey are ideal for New Year gatherings because they are an everyday comfort food. They are inseparable from Hong Kong and Cantonese cuisine, and can make up for the loss of home for immigrants like my parents. For someone like me who was born on the other side of the world but is closely connected to the culture there, wontons are a concrete connection to my family and my hometown. For anyone who loves wontons (and who doesn’t, right?), the pleasure of making wontons from scratch seems to be as great as the moment of devouring them.
Eating wontons during the Chinese New Year is not new.The award-winningAccording to Yang Yuhua, a food writer and culinary history expert, in ancient times, people ate wontons during festivals for good luck because they looked like gold ingots. The same reason applies to eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year.
It is important to emphasize here that wontons are dumplings, but not all dumplings are wontons. Also, not all wontons are Cantonese cuisine – in northern China, there are wontons with thick skins, and in Sichuan in the southwest, there are also wontons with thick skins.SpicyChao Shou – However, the Hong Kong style is arguably the best, with thin skin and shrimp stuffed inside. “Cantonese wontons are an art,” said Yang Yuhua.
Shrimp makes wonton fillings tender and juicy, while the usual fillings are minced or chopped fatty meat. With shrimp, “the texture should be springy, not mushy, soft or mealy,” says Yeung. You can buy them fresh at seafood markets in Hong Kong and other coastal areas, but they’re hard to find elsewhere. To create that springy texture, I used my mom’s secret, salting the peeled shrimp and letting them sit for a while. This process helps extract excess water from the crustaceans during freezing and thawing, making the meat firmer. It also brings out the shrimp’s subtle sweetness.
One of the characteristics of Cantonese cuisine is that it emphasizes the taste of the ingredients themselves, so I don’t season my stuffing too much—just some sauce and scallions and ginger. For a crunchy texture, some chefs add chopped fresh water chestnuts, and use soaked dried shiitake mushrooms or fungus to add chewiness.
You can buy excellent pre-made square wonton wrappers at many supermarkets, sometimes labeled “Hong Kong style.” But if you don’t have them ready-made, making the wrappers from scratch requires only household ingredients. Cantonese-style wonton wrappers are very thin, so that the fillings stand out. Unlike thicker wrappers made with just flour and water, this wrapper also includes eggs, which gives the dough a richer, softer texture that can be rolled out very thinly. Using a pasta machine to press the wrappers makes this step especially easy. (Rolling by hand requires more strength and patience.)
Store sales andHomemade wonton wrappercan be molded into various shapes. Although the neat ingot shape isFried wontonWonton wrapping is ideal for wonton soup, but the casual style works best for wonton soup. Pinch a corner of the wrapper to enclose the filling, then close the end of the wrapper like the hem of a wedding dress. When cooked, the wontons float in the soup, the golden skin ripples on the broth, and taste like the most delicate noodles. The Cantonese word “wonton” means “swallowing clouds,” and the name captures the wonton’s elegant, soft beauty and taste. Add the long, thin wonton noodles to the bowl to complete the dish, or perhaps make a New Year’s wish for health and longevity.
The most commonly used “dessert” in Cantonese cuisine is fresh fruit. Tangerines are eaten during Chinese New Year because they sound the same as “gold” in Cantonese, a symbol of wealth, and are often served with candied nuts and melon seeds. But to pair with simple traditional wontons, here’s a simple new twist on a traditional snack:Sesame Crisp. Put Spring Festival candy andsweet dumplingThe fragrant roasted black sesame seeds contained in desserts such as these are baked in butter cookies.
While it may not be a Chinese New Year custom, the cookie represents the changing nature of Hong Kong cuisine.《New Cantonese Cuisine》(New Cantonese Cooking) wrote: “Only Cantonese cuisine is so free-spirited, a cuisine that enjoys experimenting and innovating.” These modern dishes, with a crisp and not-too-sweet taste, capture the spirit of Spring Festival, when the old is gone and the new is ushered in.
“After bidding farewell to the Year of the Tiger — which was indeed a dangerous year — I believe that everyone will have great luck,” Yang Yuhua said of the upcoming Year of the Rabbit, which some predict will be peaceful and harmonious. There is no better way to celebrate the New Year than with a classic dish paired with a new delicacy.
advertise