top of page
Writer's pictureKonky's Creative Kitchen

Horsefeathers Ostrich Farm Collaboration: Ostrich Wontons 鴕鳥餛飩

YEP, I went there! I wanted to attack this in the best way possible when I purchased some of the ground ostrich meat for home. Horsefeathers Ostrich Farm of Webster, NH had posted a request for any Chef who would like to help create some dishes using their local-raised ostrich shanks. Several people did reply with a resounding "YES", including myself! It didn't take long for a reply to come back and here we are! The ultimate goal is to help potential new and current Ostrich-meat customers learn just about how amazing their dishes can be, with a little help from some friends in the community. THIS TIME, with the ground ostrich I purchased, I will show you how I made these delicious wontons using the ground ostrich meat!


For information about Horsefeathers Ostrich Farm, I have a featured video that introduces this awesome New Hampshire farm right here on my YouTube channel.


PLEASE NOTE: The wonton wrappers should be "Shanghai" style. They are typically the egg-dough wrapper in a beautiful golden color. These are traditionally thinner than dumpling dough. Wonton wrappers are available at all Asian markets and/or other ethnic markets. If the store has the Hong Kong white dough wrappers, those will also work!


A digital scale is needed for the scallions.

The video demonstration is on my YouTube channel.


Meat filled pasta for soup making
Prepped Ostrich Wontons

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg Hong Kong-style wonton wrappers (either egg yellow or white)

1lb/453g Horsefeathers Ostrich Farm - ground ostrich

6oz/170g Scallions, finely chopped

2 Eggs, large 1/4 C Oyster sauce 1/4 C Rice vinegar 3TB Garlic, minced 1/2 TB Cumin powder 1/2 TB Chinese 5 spice powder 1/2 tsp White pepper powder 1/2 tsp Vegetable soup base








1.) Set up a soup pot with either water or soup stock on your stove top.

2.) Into one mixing bowl, you will add all of your ingredients, except for the wonton wrappers

3.) Pay careful attention with the scallions as they are weighed. Start with one bundle of scallions, finely chop, and add to the bowl. You may end up needing more as all bundled scallions are not sold by weight.

4.) With clean hands, begin squashing the mixture to get everything incorporated. Do this for about three minutes.

5.) For the next 10 minutes, with your hand (almost as if you are holding a softball), begin rigorously mixing the dumpling mixture. Do not be afraid to really get aggressive when mixing this. Because ostrich meat is extremely lean (95%-97%), this will take a little longer than the other dumplings/wontons I have made. Continue mixing for up to 10 minutes.

6.) At this point, you will start seeing protein-like threads in the mixture. This is myosin development. Take a small 1oz portion and cook this in a small pan. You will need to taste test this first to see if you need to add more seasonings. If the mixture is fine, we will begin filling the wonton wrappers

7.) At about the 8:18 mark of the video, you will need to set up a tray lightly dusted with cornstarch, a spoon for the mixture, and a shot glass of water.

8.) In the video, I provide multiple ways of folding/sealing wontons


WONTON #1:

First method of shaping a wonton
Wonton #1

At 8:18 mark, wet the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Spoon approximately 1-1.5oz of mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Bring the lower corner to the top of the corner and pinch. Take your side corners and bring them up to your pinched top section, pressing out any air. Seal the edges.



WONTON #2:

Second method of shaping a wonton
Wonton #2

At 8:49 mark, wet the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Spoon approximately 1-1.5oz of mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Bring the lower corner to the top of the corner. Instead of corner to corner, place the wonton corner just to the side of the upper point. Begin sealing the wonton wrapper, squeezing out any air. Gently press the bottom of the wonton inward. Lightly wet one side of the wonton wrapper and bring the sides together. Pinch to secure.


WONTON #3:

Third method of shaping a wonton
Wonton #3

At 9:28 mark, wet the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Spoon approximately 1-1.5oz of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Instead of corner-to-corner, fold this in half directly into a rectangle. Pinch and begin sealing to remove any air. Turn the wonton around so the bottom of the filling is upward. Lightly wet one side of the wonton. Gently press the bottom of the wonton inward. Bring the two sides together. Pinch to secure.


WONTON #4:

Fourth method of shaping a wonton
Wonton #4

At the 9:58 mark, wet the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Spoon approximately 1oz of filling just above the middle of the wonton wrapper. Shape the filling into a small log. With chopsticks, grab the top corner of the wonton wrapper and begin rolling this over the filling about 2/3's of the way. Seal the sides closed, pinching out any air. Gently wet one side, press against the opposite end of the wonton wrapper, and seal well.


WONTON #5:

Fifth method of shaping a wonton
Wonton #5

At the 10:37 mark, wet the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Spoon approximately 1-1.5oz of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Bring the lower corner to the top of the corner. Carefully bring the sides upward to the top of the sealed corner and lightly pinch the dough closed at the top. This should resemble a little purse (money bag). Make sure this is sealed tight without pinching a hole in the wrapper.


9.) Turn your stock pot on medium-high heat. Once the stock is up to temperature, add your filled wontons and give this a gentle stir. You should start seeing the wontons beginning to float in about three to five minutes. This will indicate that you have another one minute left before they are done cooking.


Serve in a bowl with a soup base of choice or leave as is.

Serve with your favorite chili oil/chili crisp, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fresh chilies, cold summer vegetables, blanched beansprouts, etc.



Chinese stuffed pasta in soup
Ostrich Wonton Soup




Comentarios


bottom of page