Kid Friendly: Pork or Chicken Fried Wontons

Last week I had the chance to teach the children how to make 'fried wontons' (with a simple pork and chicken filling) - from what ingredients to use, mixing and putting the mixture into wonton sheets and showing them the frying method.  This part an adult has to do - after all I was teaching children that are 3 years of age.  They enjoyed this experience and to me they have learned so much from recognizing and naming the ingredients, embracing my culture and having to taste their own food rather than picking these up from the Chinese restaurant or in frozen packets.

Now because I didn't want to overwhelm the children with too much ingredients I just used the minimal! Having the other ingredients does not really mean that the taste will be bland.  It was really good!

Kid Friendly: Pork or Chicken Fried Wontons
We made about 50 on these wontons with minimal meat inside.  If you make leftovers then freeze.  If you want to make just chicken then omit the pork and double chicken the amount and vice versa.

What will you need:

• Approx 150 grams of minced pork
• Approx 150 grams of minced chicken
• 1/2 tbs of minced garlic
• 1/2 tbs of minced ginger
• 1 - 1.5 tbs of soy sauce
• 1 tbs of rice wine vinegar
• pepper to taste
• wonton wrappers (i used the white you can also use the yellow egg wrappers)
• bit of cornflour and water to paste around the edges of the wontons to enclose the filling.
• vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Have all the ingredients laid out and have the ginger, garlic in whole because this way the children and identify what is what and have them to smell and ask them what does this smell like.  Show them the cut up version which will be put into the mixture.

• Then divide portions up into their own mixing bowls and add all the ingredients together and have them to smell each first and get them to mix and describe how it feels and looks.  The mixture should be sticky and pasty looking.
• Next have the wonton wrappers already peeled for the children (do this beforehand) and show them how.  
• Lay the wonton wrappers on a flat surface and fill the middle of the sheet with a tiny filling of the mince mixture (just under half a teaspoon) and with water mixed with cornflour  brush the edges of the wrapper.  Enclose the filling by taking the bottom of the wrapper to the top of the wrapper and seal.

• I skipped pleating part cause it seems a bit too challenging for their little fingers.  The children showed me that they could dip the finger into the bowl and brush it around the edges and fold it up to enclose the filling.  You can really make any shape!

• With an adult, heat oil (about 1 inch in a wok) until hot.  Fry about 8 wontons at a time until brown and turn it a few times about for 2 to 3 minutes.  
• Drain on paper towel
• Serve with soy sauce and eat immediately!

I am sure you will love watching your children concentrate and focus on this easy cooking activity and that they learn that not everything comes out from frozen packets or take away from a Chinese restaurant.

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

What is the one word that pops in my head when one says Vietnam or Vietnamese? Nuoc Mam or in english fish sauce. This liquid is drained from salted, fermented fish and often used in dipping sauces and takes the place of salt. Nuoc mam is often mixed with garlic, chilli, ginger, sugar, vinegar and fresh lemons or limes to make a very satisfying dipping sauce called Nuoc Cham.

There are a lot of online recipes for Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce) and often they are different because the varying of ingredients. This depends on their taste buds or what they have available in their kitchen. There are also different combinations and colours of fish sauce depending where it is made. Sometimes when I change fish sauce brands it can be quite dark or lighter in colour and the taste can taste a little bit different as well.

Some people (especially westerners) will find Nuoc Mam (fish sauce) smell quite off putting and really smelly (watch out for your Vietnamese neighbours lol) but fish sauce tends to bring out and deepens the flavours of the ingredients just like salt would do. It's just like when you season your meat with salt and pepper. Vietnamese use fish sauce instead. I like to use fish sauce in my cooking pretty much everyday in meat, vegetable meals and especially in brothy clear soups. Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce) is really good with nem nuong, spring rolls, noodles and ban xeo (vietnamese pancakes) just to name a few.

Here is my version. I use water in mine to lessen the saltiness of the sauce but my mum she doesn't use water at all. She uses lots of lime and lemon juice. It tastes really good.


Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce) (makes one cup)

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 or 2 red chillis
• 2 tsps of sugar
• 1/4 of lime juice or lemon juice
• 21/2 tbs of water (or extra)
• 2 tbs of nuoc mam (any brand)

Mince garlic, chilli and add with sugar in a bowl. Make into paste. (If you have a mortar and pestle use it since it's easier.) Then Squeeze lime or lemon juice in the paste and mix. Add water and fish sauce and mix well. If the mix is too strong add extra water according to your taste.

How to Make Soft Rice Paper Roll (with Prawn and Pork) & Dipping Sauce

Soft Rice Paper Rolls (with Prawn and Pork)

My all time favourite Vietnamese dish would have to be Soft Rice Paper Rolls!! Why? This is because it can be used to wrap up a wide range of fillings of your choice from meat, fish, chicken, noodles or veges. It's a fun way to entertain and get family and friends together. Each person can assemble their own unique spring roll according to their taste and preferences.

The main essential fillings for the rice paper rolls are vermicelli noodles and herbs and you can add whatever meat you desire. I like either beef or pork or even those crunchy deep fried spring rolls.

Today I am going to show you have to make Prawn and Pork Rice Paper Rolls and Dipping Sauce to go with it. You can also find these at Asian Grocers already made for you for about $4 a container with their special dipping sauce! YUmmmm...


Soft Rice Paper Roll (with Prawn and Pork)

To make about 20 rolls you will need:

• 1/2 kg of pork rashers or you can use pork neck. (i used half of the pack in the photo below)
  
• approx 20 prawns cooked and peeled and cut half side ways
• fresh herbs / lettuce
• vermicelli noodles
• 20 rice paper sheets
• warm water for dipping the sheets
• dipping sauce!
  

Some of the ingredients!

Instructions:

- Place rashes in a pot of boiling water on medium heat. Cook through well. Then take out of the water and set it aside to cool. Cut up in 1 cm pieces.

- I bought my prawns already cooked. If you bought it fresh then boil it until it changes colour and let it cool. Then peel prawns. And then slice it half side ways (like the pic below).

- In another pot, cook the noodles according to instructions. Drain well and set aside.

- Lay all the ingredients out as shown below. You can have it in any order you like but the prawns must come first just for presentation wise!

In order....doesn't have to be but the rice paper and then the prawn must be first

- Fill a large bowl with warm water. Now place a sheet of rice paper and dip it into the water and take it out. Immediately lay this on a big plate. (Don't go soaking your sheet......yuckkk it will go all soggy gross! lol and then you can't even roll it properly!)

- Then place the prawns (cut side up), then noodles, herbs and pork on the botton edge of the rice paper roll near towards your body. Leave enough paper to roll the sheet over to cover the ingredients.

- Fold over the rice sheet paper until all the ingredients are covered.

- Roll until the prawn side is facing downwards onto the plate. Then fold each side to seal the two ends of the paper.

- Repeat the process until all ingredients are used up

- Place on a nice serving dish and serve with dipping sauce.

This is a slide show on How to make rice paper roll. I thought it would be easier than explaining it :)

Now make the sauce!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Please adjust the ingredients to your taste

1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 squeezed lime or lemon
2 garlic cloves minced
2 chilli's minced
some water

Directions:
- Get a jar that is sealable (empty jam jar) and add water and sugar. Mix to dissolve the sugar. Then add the fish sauce and lime or lemon juice.

- Then add in the garlic and chillis. Taste. Add more fish sauce or water according to your preference.
- Serve immediately. It is recommended that you store in the fridge. Lasts for a couple of months.

Pickled Stuff

I made this earlier in the year hence the date on the jar :). This is called "Do Chua" or in English 'pickled stuff'. It is well known to be found in banh mi thit sandwiches! Yum Yum. It's often made with daikon but i don't like them...





Making pickled carrots is quite easy. All you need is carrots, vinegar, salt and sugar! The recipe should be adjusted according to how much you want to make depending on the size of the carrots.

The pickled carrots lasts for months and months in the fridge so don't worry it will not go off. I finished that jar (above) in August this month - a long time! However, you will find that the crunchiness is not as great as in the first 1 to 2 months.

The recipe I used was from www.vietworldkitchen.com. I just didn't use the daikons but about 2-3 more carrots for this depending on the size of the carrots.

Do Chua (Pickled Carrot and Daikons)
www.vietworldkitchen.com

Makes about 3 cups

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
• 1 pound (about under 1/2 kg) daikons, each no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to 1-quart jar for longer storage.

To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Beyond that point, they get tired.