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Grilled Shrimp Wonton w Sweet Spicy Thai Chili Sauce
Just like there is no dish called chop-suey in China, there is no Crab Rangoon in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma now called Myanmar. It’s an American invention and the dead giveaway is there is no cream cheese in Burma. It’s reputed to have originated from the menu offering of a kitschy San Francisco Polynesian-themed restaurant Trader Vic’s in the 1950’s.
I’ve done my own riff over the years on this crowd-pleasing appetizer that almost always gets eaten in a flash. It’s super easy to make and it travels well for potlucks and tail-gate parties. The shrimp wontons taste pretty good at room temperature with a bit of sweet spicy dipping sauce, but they are sensational right out of the fryer. I like to grill the shrimp before making these wonton bites to give them a smoky flavor. Using two bamboo skewers to hold the shrimp when grilling instead of one minimizes the skewer rolling around on the grill. For a textural crunch I like to add diced water chestnuts. You can substitute jicama or green apple if you can’t find water chestnuts. Instead of the Thai sweet chili sauce, I’ve also used barbecue sauce diluted with some apple juice and spiked with Sriracha.
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/3 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 pieces raw bacon, rough chopped
- 4 oz Kraft Philadelphia regular cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 3 tablespoons water chestnuts, 1/4 inch dice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon SYD All Purpose Rub
- 12 wonton wrappers
- Oil, for deep frying
Dipping sauce
- 3 tablespoons store bought Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- Sriracha hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp. Thread 3 shrimp onto two parallel wooden skewers. Using two skewers prevents the shrimp from rolling on the grill.
- Brush shrimp with oil and apply some SYD All Purpose Rub. Place shrimp skewers on a hot grill for a minute or two on each side to get a nice char on the shrimp while still a bit undercooked. Try not to overcook the shrimp since it will be in the wonton wrapper to be fried. Any undercooked areas will be cooked during the frying process. Remember you want perfectly tender cooked shrimp in each bite of the fried wontons. Pull out the skewers and cut shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces.
- In a bowl, mix the shrimp, cooked bacon (Slightly stir fry bacon and cool before adding to mixture), cream cheese, green onions, water chestnuts, sugar, and SYD All Purpose Rub. Mix and set aside
- Place one wonton wrapper on your cutting board. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture in the middle.
Use some water to moisten the edges and fold the wonton into a pouch.
Pinch the edges lightly so the moistened wonton skin will seal. Repeat until all wrappers or mixture is used up.
- Fry in 350F oil and remove when golden brown
- Serve hot with the dipping sauce
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Asian