Pork, Shrimp, and Mushroom Wontons
三餡馄饨 (San Xian Hun Tun)
San xian (三餡), literally translated, means “three fillings.” San xian wontons are an indulgent dumpling stuffed with a savory combination of pork, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms [1]. These wontons are easy to make at home, and can either be served dry or floating in a soup!
Ingredients
¾ lb ground pork
½ lb shrimp, minced
8 shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
1 pkg wonton wrappers
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
Begin by finely dicing the shiitake mushrooms and mincing the shrimp. When mincing the shrimp for this recipe, you can choose to leave some of the shrimp in larger, 1 cm pieces, so you have recognizable pieces of shrimp in the cooked dumpling.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with minced shrimp, mushrooms, minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon or clean hands, until the mixture is homogeneous.
If you want to check for seasoning, the best way to do this is to take a small scoop of the filling and microwave it for 30 seconds or so, until it’s fully cooked. Adjust the seasoning to your taste, then prepare to wrap. You can prepare the filling up to two days in advance of wrapping if you wish. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
On a clean table or counter, prepare a workspace for assembling the wontons. The wonton wrappers, if frozen, should be fully thawed. It is important to stop the wrappers from drying out, so depending on how fast you can work, and how humid the air is, it is often a good idea to keep the wrappers covered before wrapping, either with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. A towel is also useful for drying your fingers. Fill a small bowl with cold water for sealing the wontons, and prepare a landing zone for the completed wontons. If you plan on cooking them all immediately, just go and pile the wontons up on a plate, but if you are planning on freezing them, prepare a plate, cutting board, or sheet pan covered in plastic wrap or parchment paper. The wontons should be placed in a single layer with a small amount of distance between them so they freeze individually.
When making wontons, any fold goes, as long as they are fully sealed and there are no large air bubbles. Some wonton styles are even made just by scrunching the wrapper together! Here, we demonstrate folding one of the traditional wonton shapes. Begin by placing a square wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand, and spooning about ½ a tablespoon of filling into the center. With your other hand, dip a finger in the cold water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. The water will help the wrapper stick to itself. Dry your finger on a towel, and then fold the square wrapper on the diagonal to form a triangle. Squeeze the air out and seal the triangle. Then bring the two corners of the triangle together, using a dab of water to press the two corners together.
If you intend on freezing the wontons, put your parchment or plastic wrap lined surface into the freezer. After 6 hours or so, the wontons should be rock solid. Transfer into a zipper storage bag for convenient storage in the freezer.
To Cook
To cook the wontons, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Plan for 4 wontons per diner for an appetizer, or 12 wontons per diner as a main course. When the water is boiling, add the wontons to the pot, stirring to prevent sticking. Make sure there is a generous amount of water, and the pot is not crowded. We don’t want the wontons to break apart in vigorous turbulence, so when the pot returns to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, until the wontons are done. This should be about 5 minutes for fresh wontons, or 10 minutes if you are cooking them from frozen. They are done with the skins turn translucent and the meat inside is fully cooked.
When the wontons are done, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon, and place them in a serving bowl. Top the wontons with your choice of sauces and toppings. Chili oil and sesame oil both pair well with these wontons. Combine these sauces with some crispy fried shallots for texture and fresh herbs such as scallions or cilantro.
Substitutions
You can substitute or supplement the ground pork in this recipe with ground chicken. You can also substitute a savory mushroom such as a portobello for the shiitakes. These wontons work great in soup! Try adding them to a simple chicken or seafood broth, together with some vegetables and herbs, such as scallion or cilantro.
[1] In some restaurants, the “san xian” label refers instead to a combination of pork, shrimp, and chicken.
Recipe
Prep Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
Difficulty: 3/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: pot
Servings: 80 wontons
Ingredients
¾ lb ground pork
½ lb shrimp, minced
8 shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
1 pkg wonton wrappers
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
Instructions
1. Finely dice the shiitake mushrooms, and clean and mince the shrimp.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms, minced ginger, cornstarch, sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine, ½ tsp white pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Mix well to make the filling.
3. To begin assembly, prepare a small bowl of water, and unwrap the wonton wrappers, keeping them under plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.
4. To wrap, place a wonton wrapper in your hand. Spoon about ½ a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, and moisten the edges of the wrapper with water using the tip of your finger. Fold the wrapper over into a triangle, and bring the two corners of the triangle together. Repeat.
5. Once all the wontons are wrapped, cook immediately, or freeze.
To Cook
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the wontons to the water.
2. When the pot returns to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until fully cooked—about 5 minutes fresh, or 10 minutes frozen.
3. Remove the cooked wontons from the pot with a slotted spoon, and place in a serving bowl.
4. Top the wontons with condiments of your choice. We suggest some fresh scallions, chili oil, crispy fried shallots, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
