Want One?: Mushroom and kale wontons with sesame-ginger dipping sauce

by Caitlin Saniga

For this meatless wonton, I chose a handful of autumn veggies: kale, carrots, mushrooms and green onions. The funny thing is: Sarah and I came up with this guide theme because we both had some leftover wonton wrappers we needed to use. We had no idea it would spark so much creativity! What would you put inside a wonton wrapper?

Wontons:

• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean
• 1 large carrot, trimmed and peeled
• 1 large kale leaf, sliced very thinly
• 1 large clove garlic, trimmed and peeled
• 3 green onions, chopped finely
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• 24 wonton wrappers
• canola oil

Dipping sauce:

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic glove, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• pinch of cayenne
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

I experimented with folding styles for these wontons, pressing three edges of a circle wonton together to create a triangular dumpling. You could also simply fold a circle in half over the filling and press to seal.

To make the wontons:

Put the mushrooms, carrot and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl, and mix in the kale, green onions, olive oil and a few dashes of salt.

Assemble the wontons by placing a rounded teaspoonful of the mushroom mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Use a wet fingertip to trace the edge of the wonton wrapper, fold the wonton as desired and press the wet edges to seal. Repeat this process with the remaining wrappers.

Pour canola oil into a large pan so that it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Place the pan over medium heat and let it sit until it’s hot, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a cooling rack by covering it with paper towels.

To check whether the oil is hot enough, you can carefully flick a few drops of water at the oil. If they sizzle and pop immediately, the oil’s ready.

Add 6 of the wontons to the pan, and allow them to cook until they bubble up and turn-golden brown on the bottoms, no more than 20 seconds. Flip the wontons and cook for no more than 20 seconds longer. Using a pair of metal tongs, transfer the wontons to the cooling racks. Repeat these steps to finish the wontons.

The potent mix of flavors in the ginger-sesame sauce would also be great with pasta or stir-fry. It’s lick-the-bowl-clean good!

To make the sesame-ginger sauce:

Place all of the ingredients except for the sesame seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients have thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. Pour the sauce into a small dish and top with the toasted sesame seeds.

Serve immediately.

Makes 24.

* Want One? is our October guide that pays homage to the wonton, a traditionally steamed, fried, baked or boiled dumpling that can be filled with an array of goodies. We’ll feature meatless, meat-full and dessert renditions.

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