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Elevate your cooking with quick and easy Vietnamese recipes for effortless entertaining at home

Elevate your cooking with quick and easy Vietnamese recipes for effortless entertaining at home
The Reading List
By The Reading List
26 Oct 2024
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No need to travel for wontons! Learn how to tap into the Vietnamese mindset of being resourceful with time and ingredients, maximising on flavour and never wasting a thing.

Quick and Easy Vietnamese by Uyen Luu is an everyday Vietnamese cookbook with simple yet delicious recipes that can all be whipped up with minimum fuss. 

Pork and Prawn Wontons


These can be enjoyed as a snack or starter. They also make a fantastic topping for noodle soups or even instant ramen. I always save uncooked ones for the freezer, then steam them from frozen for 10 minutes. Folding the wontons takes a bit of time, but I do it with a cup of tea and a friend so we can have a good catch-up.

Makes 30 wontons

Prep time 1 hour

Cook time 10 minutes

Ingredients 


150g minced (ground) pork

200g peeled raw king prawns (shrimp), finely chopped

100g tinned water chestnuts, finely chopped

2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

2 Tbsp frozen edamame beans, defrosted

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

pinch of sea salt

1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar

½ tsp freshly ground white pepper

½ Tbsp cornflour (corn starch)

30 square wonton wrappers (about 10 cm)

2 tsp sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling

10g garlic chives or coriander (cilantro) leaves, sliced into 3cm pieces, to garnish (optional)

For the dipping sauce


2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced

2 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp black vinegar or cider vinegar

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp crispy chilli oil

First, make the dipping sauce by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl.

Put the pork on to a board and use a cleaver or large knife to further mince it until fine. Transfer to a bowl and use chopsticks to whip it, stirring in one direction, until it becomes a sticky paste. Add the chopped prawns, water chestnuts, spring onions, edamame beans, oyster sauce, salt, sugar and white pepper and mix well.

Lightly dust a plate with the cornflour and fill a cup with water. To form the dumplings, place a wrapper on to the palm of your hand and dollop one heaped teaspoon of filling into the middle. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold the wonton wrapper over into a triangle while pushing the air out of the filling, then pinch the wrapper together to form a sack. Pinch and fan out the top to seal, then place on to the prepared plate. Repeat until you have used up all the filling.

To cook the wontons, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then gently drop in a handful of wontons (don’t crowd the pan) and let it come back to the boil. After 4 to 5 minutes the wontons will float to the surface. Cook for a further two minutes, then lift them out of the water with a spider or slotted spoon and place on a plate. Drizzle with sesame oil and repeat until you have cooked as many as you need. Keep any extras for freezing. 

Garnish with the herbs, if using, then pour over the sauce or serve it on the side in dipping bowls.

Leafy Orange and Ginger Salad with Marinated Artichokes


This is really good as a side salad, tossed with noodles or with a buttered crusty baguette. I often pick up a jar of meaty marinated artichokes from the deli – they are a great option for meat-free days. You can use this lovely dressing with a variety of leaves, herbs and fruit and vegetables.

Serves 4

Prep time 10 minutes

Ingredients


½ head of radicchio

60g watercress

1 golden beetroot (beet), peeled and julienned

8 marinated artichokes, quartered

1 carrot, peeled into ribbons

2 satsumas or 1 orange, segmented and halved

1 kiwi, peeled, quartered and sliced

handful of blackberries (optional)

20g coriander (cilantro) or mint leaves, roughly torn

For the dressing


20g fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

1 carrot, very finely grated (using the zesting side of the grater)

zest and juice of 1 orange

zest and juice of ½ lime

1 Tbsp clear honey

2 Tbsp light soy sauce or premium fish sauce

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the rest of the ingredients, except the coriander or mint, in a large bowl, then add the dressing and toss together. Garnish with the herbs before serving. DM

Quick and Easy Vietnamese by Uyen Luu is published by Hardie Grant (R580). Visit The Reading List for South African book news – including recipes! – daily.

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