Szechuan-Inspired Shrimp Wonton Cups with Five Spice

Directions

To Make the Wonton Cups:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat cups of a 12-muffin tin with oil. Place 2 wonton wrappers in each cup, pressing into bottom and side. Where wonton wrappers overlap, brush with a little water to seal.
3. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden (cooking time will depend on thickness of wrappers; begin checking at 12 minutes).

 

To Make the Sauce and Shrimp:

1. In a small bowl, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, honey and the 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Whisk together until well mixed, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with cornstarch, salt and pepper.
3. In a medium skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add shrimp, cook 3 to 5 minutes, then add five spice powder, garlic powder, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
4. Add sauce and cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens and shrimp are cooked through. If sauce is too thick, add ¼ to ½ cup water to thin, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. Remove shrimp from heat.

 

To Make the Dish:

1. Mix crispy chow mein noodles with shrimp and immediately spoon mixture into baked wonton cups.
2. Top each with chopped peanuts, diced green onions a big pinch of cilantro. Serve!

 

 

RECIPE TIPS:

To save time if making for an evening party, simply bake the wonton cups in the morning or afternoon and prepare the toppings. Then, make the shrimp filling and sauce just before serving.

 

These appetizers have a spicy kick! If you want to tone down the spice level, start with ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper.