Prawn wontons with spring onion, ginger and vinegar dressing

Serve as a starter for 4

When wontons are boiled, not deep-fried, the result is like little soft pillows. The dressing is inspired by sauces made in the Sichuan province of China – it has a wonderful balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy, and the coriander, spring onion and ginger fill the sauce with lots of chewy, yummy bits!

• 2½ tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced coriander (cilantro) roots and stems
• 2 tablespoons finely diced ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis
• 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon chilli oild
• ash of sesame oil 

Wontons

• 9 uncooked medium-sized prawns (shrimp) – about 300 g (10 oz)
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
• 1½ teaspoons finely diced ginger
• 1 teaspoon shao hsing wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• ¼ teaspoon white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• 16 fresh wonton wrappers, about 7 cm (3 in) square

Combine soy sauce, coriander, ginger, spring onions, kecap manis, vinegar and both oils in a bowl and set aside.

For the wontons, peel and de-vein prawns, then dice prawn meat – you should have about 150 g (5 oz) diced prawn meat. Combine prawn meat with remaining ingredients, except wonton wrappers, in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Next, fill and shape the wontons.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Drop wontons, in batches, into the water and cook for 2 minutes or until they are just cooked. To test the wontons you will need to remove one using a slotted spoon and cut into it with a sharp knife to see if the prawns are cooked through. Remove wontons with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat process with remaining wontons.

Arrange wontons on a platter and serve immediately, drizzled with dressing.