As you know, I had enough longganisa over the weekend to feed an army. An army of friends and family who begrudgingly sat through my self-serving tale of how I successfully made Filipino sausages complete with casing for the first time. But after I’ve divided among them the hefty batch and enjoyed some myself, I had about six links needing another purpose other than a “silog” meal for breakfast.
I am not sure how the idea for longganisa wontons came about in my head. It might have been from something I read somewhere. Or maybe it was just an opportune flash of ingenuity on my part. Regardless, they were delicious. Quick and simple, too. As the meat was already well-seasoned, all I did to pull the filling together was add water chestnuts for texture and green onions for color.
The only part of this recipe I find a bit cumbersome is the assembly. You can fold the wonton wrappers in half into easy triangles like the pinsec frito we have in the archive or simply gather the sides around the filling to form mini “purses” like I did here. Whatever folding technique you apply, make sure to cover the unused wrappers and completed wontons with a damp towel to prevent from drying out. Do not overfill the wontons to keep from tearing and leaking during frying. About 1 teaspoon of filling per 3-inch sheet is a reasonable size. Give these a try, my fwends. Snack or appetizer, these bite sizes of awesomeness will not fail to impress.
- 6 raw longganisa, casings removed and meat crumbled (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 24 pieces wonton wrappers
- oil
- In a bowl, combine longganisa meat, water chestnuts and green onions until well-distributed.
- Separate wonton wrappers into individual sheets and lay out on a flat surface. In the middle of each wrapper, spoon a teaspoonful of filling. Lightly moisten sides of wrapper with water. Gather all corners to the middle to cover filling and to form a packet. Press together to completely seal.
- In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1-inch deep oil. Add wontons in batches and deep-fry until golden and crisp and meat is cooked through. Remove from pan and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Serve hot with sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.
Brilliant idea!!