I cooked many meals at home when we lived in St. Paul but take-out was an important component of our weekly dinners. Leeann Chin was always on the roster for a quick Chinese and kid friendly dinner. The cream cheese wontons were always a favorite— what's not to love about a golden crunchy exterior that gives way to creamy, melted cheese?
My sister, Annie, made them for the boys a few years ago and they were a huge hit. Will suggested we give it a whirl and bring a little Leeann Chin to our kitchen in Bayfield. As luck would have it, our local IGA has wonton wrappers and cream cheese, we were in business. It was a surprisingly easy endeavor. A dollop of cream cheese on a wonton wrapper, wrap it up, fry it up and there you go— a Dougherty version of Leeann Chin wontons in Bayfield.
Fried Cream Cheese Wontons
1 8 ounce package cream cheese - softened
1 1/2 tbsp scallions sliced thin
1 1/2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp Tajin Classico Seasoning (optional)
Wonton wrappers
Oil for frying
Instructions
Heat enough cooking oil to fill 2 to 3 inches in a medium-sized cooking pot. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, scallions, cilantro until fully incorporated. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into wonton, and fold wonton.
Fold wonton by brushing a little water over all of the edges of the wonton skin. Fold wonton diagonally unto a triangle. Be sure to seal all of the edges completely, this will keep the filling from running out of the wonton when being cooked. Next take the two furthest ends and press and twist those together. You may need to tack together the two end pieces by adding a little water.
When the oil is heated, you can use a thermometer and test to see that it is 350 degrees, or you may test with a small piece of wonton skin. If the wonton skin bubbles immediately when dropped into the hot oil, it is ready. Drop only 4 or 5 pieces into the hot oil. After about 1 minute the wonton will begin to brown, it will now brown rapidly, remove it when it is lightly browned. Set it on a wire cooling rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce (the best sweet chili sauce, ever!).
