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2 cups shredded napa cabbage
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1/2 pound ground pork or chicken
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1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
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2 scallions, minced
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1 garlic clove, minced
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1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
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1 teaspoon soy sauce
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1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
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60 wonton skins
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2 to 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying (optional)
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Soy-Vinegar Sauce, Orange Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, Spicy Fish Sauce or Spiced Salt
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In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the cabbage for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Then squeeze out the excess water.
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In a bowl, combine the cabbage with the pork, cilantro, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.
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Lay out 10 wonton skins on a work surface; keep the remainder covered. Place a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each skin; dampen the edges and fold over to form a triangle. Press out the air and seal the edges. Dampen the two points farthest from each other and pinch them together to form a hat, or tortellini, shape. Put the wontons on a flour-dusted baking sheet and cover with a clean towel. Repeat the procedure with the remaining skins and filling.
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Heat the oil to almost 400° in a wok. Add the wontons in batches of 10 and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
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Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the wontons in batches and cook until they float to the top. Transfer to a colander to drain.
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To serve, transfer the wontons to a platter and pass one or more of the dipping sauces separately.
Notes
Variation: For vegetable wontons, in place of the pork, steam 1 1/2 pounds stemmed fresh spinach until just wilted, squeeze dry and coarsely chop. In a small saucepan, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Add to the bowl in Step 2 and proceed.
