The Great Wonton Experiment

I have been told I can make a mean cashew chicken. I am pretty sure my ex-boyfriend only stayed with me because of this recipe...

Cashew Chicken

1/2 lb. chicken breast/ground chicken or turkey

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

raw, unsalted cashews (as many as you like)

5 or 6 leaves of napa cabbage, chopped

1/4 lb. bean sprouts

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1/4 tsp. fish sauce

salt to taste

toasted sesame oil

rice

If you don't have a Wok, a large skillet will do. Heat about 1 1/2 tsp. of sesame oil in Wok and saute onions, garlic, mushrooms and celery together. Starting with onions and celery first, then adding garlic and mushrooms. Once onions are translucent, remove from Wok and set aside. Add more oil if need be, then brown your chicken/turkey. Once all the pink is gone, add veggies back and then add all the rest of the ingredients. Saute for a few more minutes and serve hot over rice of your choice.

No, I will not marry you.

Now, for the important part. I was home alone for a few hours Friday night, so I decided I was going to take some wonton wrappers and stuff them with whatever my little heart desired. I thought for a moment, how lame am I? Not at all actually. I could very well be a culinary genius. Here is the list:

Strawberry Banana Nutella Wontons (yes, that just happened)

Leek and Cream Cheese Wontons

Cashew Chicken Wontons

1 pkg. store bought wonton wrappers

3 or 4 strawberries, cut into 8ths

1 banana, sliced and halved

jar of nutella

1 leek, sliced and washed

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

leftovers from the cashew chicken recipe, excluding rice

1 egg, beaten

1 bottle of vegetable oil to fill large pot halfway

For the leeks, I sauteed them in some olive oil ahead of time, but you could probably use them raw also. Heat oil to medium-high heat. Make sure that the oil is heated all the way before you start dropping in the wontons. Take wrappers and start piling in fillings. making sure there is enough room to seal edges without tearing. Take your finger, dip in egg and paint edge of wrapper. Pull one corner over filling to meet opposite corner. Seal as best you can, if it doesn't seem like it will stay sealed in oil, take a fork to the edges. Drop in oil and let fry until golden brown. Let drain on a paper towel or even better, on a cooling rack above paper towels. 

Do you know what happens to a strawberry when it meets hot oil? OMG. It becomes liquid Heaven. These wontons made me do my giddy kitchen dance. Anyone who has cooked with me knows this dance and it only happens when I have done something amazing.