Cream Cheese Wontons By Mel Food

CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Steps:

• In a small bowl add the cream cheese, green onions, garlic powder and salt and beat until creamy.
• Lay a wonton wrapper on a non stick surface. With your finger wet the edges of the wonton wrapper. Add about a teaspoon of the cream cheese filling and bring up each corner creating a star and seal tightly.
• In a medium sized saucepan add 1/2 inch of oil along the sides. Heat to medium high heat. Add the wontons to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with sweet and sour sauce if desired.

CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Steps:

• For the dipping sauce: Mix together the honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, vinegar and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
• For the wontons: In the bowl of a mixer (or you can do it by hand), mix together the cream cheese, Sriracha and green onions until totally combined (scrape the mixer bowl if necessary). In a separate bowl, mix together the egg and 1/2 cup water.
• One at a time, assemble the wontons: Place approximately 1/2 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture on one corner of a wonton wrapper. Use your finger to "paint" the egg wash all around the edges of the wrapper. Roll the wrapper on a diagonal, starting with the cream cheese corner and stopping when half the wrapper is rolled and the cream cheese mixture is inside. Bring up the 2 ends and use the egg wash to stick them together. Allow the remaining pointed end to naturally tuck backward. (The wontons should resemble tortellini.) As you work, place the assembled wontons under plastic wrap or a light towel to keep them from drying out.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan or medium skillet until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers just under 350 degrees F. (You don't want the oil too hot or it will burn the wontons! Experiment with a spare sheet of wonton wrappers to check.)
• In batches of 4 or 5 at a time, fry the wontons for 45 seconds to 1 minute, flipping carefully midway through to make sure they brown evenly. Remove them when you think they still could stand to slightly brown a teeny bit more (because they will slightly brown in the seconds after you remove them from the pan!). Drain the wontons on a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batches.
• It's best to wait 5 to 10 minutes before serving the wontons, as the cream cheese filling can be quite hot. Serve with the dipping sauce.

CREAM CHEESE WONTONS, BY MEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400. Be sure to keep 2 lightly damped cloths nearby to cover the unused wonton wrappers and the filled wontons to keep the wrapper from drying out.
• Place cream cheese, green onion, Chili Sauce and garlic in large mixer. Blend until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed.
• In a small bowl mix water and egg.
• Fill each wrapper with 1/2 teaspoon of mixture. Wipe the edge of the wrapper with the egg mixture using your finger. Seal the edges by pinching, rolling, folding or however you like to shape your wontons.
• As you work make sure you are keeping the wontons covered. Once you have a cookie sheet full of wontons, bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. While wontons are baking, mix together dipping sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes. Serve with dipping sauce.

LOBSTER AND CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, green onion, garlic powder, egg and Sriracha until well combined. Add the lobster.
• Ready a small bowl of water. This is to help seal the edges of the wonton wrappers. Working in groups of about 6 wontons at a time, place about one teaspoon of the cheese filling in the center of each wonton square. Using your fingers, wet the wrapper all along the four sides. Fold them diagonally corner to corner and pinch the wrapper together to seal. Try to squeeze the air out as you make the first fold. Bring the two opposite points of the triangle together around front and squeeze together to seal.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Working in groups of about 8-10 wontons, drop them into the boiling water and remove them once they begin to float (about 3 minutes). Place the boiled wontons on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet so the excess water can drain off. The wontons skins should now look transparent.
• Once all of the wontons have been boiled, heat a large non-stick skillet coated with non-stick spray oil over medium-high heat. When it is very hot, place about 8 wontons in at a time. "Fry or saute" the wontons on each side until they are golden brown, blistered and crispy in some spots. Add additional non-stick spray as you go, it will help crisp up the wontons.

GARLICKY CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Steps:

• Take cold cream cheese and mix with garlic to incorporate.
• Place in fridge and chill for 15 minutes (I found using cold cream cheese makes them easier to fill).
• Place 1 tsp filling in each wonton wrapper.
• Wet each square edge with the egg wash.
• Fold into triangles.
• Make sure to get all the air out when sealing or they will puff up to much in the hot oil.
• Freeze or fry in 450°F oil 6 at a time til golden brown.
• Serve with various dipping sauces.