Pan Seared Wontons with Sweet-n-Spicy Cabbage Rice

20 wontons from last night between 2 people. And that translates to leftovers. So, I pan seared my leftover wontons and what a change in taste. The crunchy slightly carmelized burnt outer skin really give the wontons some character and the  smoky cajun seasoning gave it that much needed "zing!" I served them with a side of Sweet n Spicy Cabbage Rice (Recipe in tomorrow's post!)

Ingredients:
For the wontons:
1 chinese eggplant, finely diced
2stalks of green onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
Dash of black pepper
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1 tsp each of soy sauce and vinegar
1/8 cup coarse gound peanuts
Dash of crushed red pepper
Wonton papers
1 egg white, beaten
Cajun seasoning
To make the wontons:

Prepare the filling first. Heat some oil in a pan and throw the diced eggplant in it. Add some salt (just a pinch as soy sauce is added as well) and black pepper and turmeric and give it a stir. Add the crushed red pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the celery and green onions. Cook for another minute or so. Add the coarsely ground peanuts and toss. Adjust seasonings.

Gently separate the wonton papers and line them up. I used about 20 of them for the amount of filling I had. Line all the papers so you can fill them up all at once in equal proprotions. Brush the sides of the wonton paper with the beaten egg white all of them at once. Now start folding the wontons - fold one side onto the other and then bunch the ends together in the middle.

Boil water and gently release the wontons in the water with a slotted spoon. Use a big enough pot so as to not crowd the pot. When the wontons rise to the top they should be cooked. Take them out slowly with a slotted spoon and line them up. I drizzled some olive oil on them to prevent them from sticking.

When the wontons are cool, they are ready to be seared. Heat some oil in a pan.  When hot, gently slide wontons on the pan making sure they do not stick to each other. Sear one side until brown, flip and sear the other side.  Sprinkle some cajun seasoning and allow it to smoke a little turning the wontons over once. Remove from heat.  Serve with any sweet and sour dipping sauce or rice.