Cheese wontons

Ah, wontons: Savory vegetables, "meat" or cheese wrapped in a crispy, thin triangle (or half-moon) of dough, dipped in sukang or sweet and sour sauce. Sound familiar?
You can fill wontons with whatever ingredients you want, and you can even make your own wonton wrappers if you really want to kill time.

Before I started dating a vegetarian, my lola made wontons exclusively with a mixture of ground meat and vegetables.
These days she fills his with cheese, which when freshly made melts in your mouth almost instantly with a pleasant crunch.

Here are two cheese wontons for you to try next time you want to deep-fry something. They make great snacks for Chanukah, along with the turon and lumpia.

Cheese wontons
These are really quick to make--you can assemble them while the oil is heating. While they are a little more substantial to bite into, they don't melt in your mouth as easily as the cream cheese ones.
8 oz firm cheese like cheddar or mozzarella, cut into 1x1-inch squares 1/4 inch thick
1 package wonton wrappers
Bowl of cold water for dipping fingers
1. Fill a frying pan at least 1" and up to half full of oil and place over medium-high heat.
2. Meanwhile, assemble wontons:
a. Place a square in the middle of the wonton wrapper.
b. Wet a finger. If using square wrappers, wet two edges of the wrapper with your finger. If using circular wrappers, wet one-half of the edge with your finger.
c. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together. If the edges keep separating, use a little more water; if they're pasty, use a little less. Make sure that the cheese doesn't spill out of the wrapper.
3. When oil is hot, drop a few wontons into the oil and fry until golden brown, turning if necessary. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot.
Cream cheese and mushroom wontons
These are particularly delicious fresh out of the fryer--they're impossibly creamy and wonderful.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz mushrooms, diced finely
Herbs to taste
1 package wonton wrappers
Bowl of cold water for dipping fingers

1. In a bowl, whip together cream cheese and mushrooms until well blended. Season with herbs if desired.
2. Fill a frying pan at least 1" and up to half full of oil and place over medium-high heat.
3. Meanwhile, assemble wontons:
a. Place about two teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the wonton wrapper.
b. Wet a finger. If using square wrappers, wet two edges of the wrapper with your finger. If using circular wrappers, wet one-half of the edge with your finger.
c. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together. If the edges keep separating, use a little more water; if they're pasty, use a little less. Make sure that the cheese doesn't spill out of the wrapper.
4. When oil is hot, drop a few wontons into the oil and fry until golden brown, turning if necessary. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot.
Enjoy!
Tagged chanukah cheese vegetarian
​