The Freshman Cook: Our Appetizer-Cream Cheese Wontons!!

I think Cream Cheese Wontons are the perfect way to start a Chinese meal. Don’t you! They are creamy, crunchy, and spicy. Today we put them with sauce that is mild and a little sweet. Let’s get started!!

Cream Cheese Wontons

(adapted from CD Kitchen)

2 oz Cream Cheese

1 Egg Yolk

1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder

3 oz unsweetened Pineapple Juice

1 oz White Vinegar

1.5 oz Granulated Sugar

1.5 teaspoon Ketchup

1.5 teaspoon Cornstarch

Wonton Wrappers

Start by putting your cream cheese in a bowl and smush it

down with a fork. (Easier if it is room temp)

Separate the egg white from the yolk. Keep the white if 

possible. We will use it later. Mush ( it is a technical term!!!)

the egg yolk and the cream cheese together.

Add the curry powder.

Mix everything together.

This is your filling.

Pour your unsweetened pineapple juice in a 

saucepan. Instead of buying pineapple juice, I just bought

a small can of pineapple tid bits. They are canned 

with no added preservatives and no sugar.

I poured the juice out of the can, 

and put the pineapple in the fridge for later.

Add the white vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and cornstarch.

Whisk together over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken.

Take sauce off heat once it is thick, and set aside.

Start to heat up your oil in a saucepan . I brought the

oil to 350 degrees. If you have a home fryer, use it to fry.

While your oil is heating up, make an egg wash.

Crack an egg in a small dish, add a tablespoon of 

water, and whisk with a fork.

With a pastry brush, dab egg wash all along the edges 

of the wonton wrapper. This will help the edges stick together.

Drop 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mix into the middle 

of your wonton.  I put in 1 teaspoon, 

but it truly could have used 2 teaspoons.

To fold in the wonton, start with each tip of the wonton, 

and bring it to the tip right next to it, so that it forms an angle.

Then bring the next tip up to the center to meet the other side.

The egg wash will help the side stick to one another.

This is your finished wonton ready for frying.

Carefully place your wontons in the fryer.I only fried 3 at a time

so I could keep control of them.

Let them fry until they are light brown.

 When they are done, take them out of the oil and let 

them drain on a paper towel. See that little wire basket type 

utensil I used to get them out? I bought that at an international market

store here in Las Vegas. I just love it for frying. It is great because

if you want to check on your frying food, you can pull it out of the fryer,

let it sit in the basket, and you can examine it. The cost? 69 cents!!

Here is your plated appetizer. Aren’t they pretty?

Enjoy your appetizer!

They are easy to make and they don’t require a lot of ingredients.

Here is our cost breakdown:

(This is for 10 cream cheese wontons)

wontons-       .37

egg-               .10

cream cheese-.50

curry powder-.02

                                                                   .99 for 10 cream cheese wontons

pineapple juice-.72

white vinegar-   .05

sugar-              .10

ketchup-          .05

cornstarch-      .02

                                                   .94 sauce for wontons

Total cost for 10 wontons and dipping sauce- $1.93

I will always try to give you the exact price I paid. There may be times when

I estimate because I have had the ingredient for a while, but if at all possible,

I will try to obtain the present price.

If you have any questions about where I bought something or any other questions,

please comment on the page, or send me an email to 

thefreshmancook@hotmail.com.

Tomorrow we will be making our salad portion of our meal,

a green salad with an Asian Ginger dressing.

See you then!