Turkey Wontons in Mapo Sauce

Ingredients

Turkey Wonton

• Ground turkey (1/2 lb)
• Sliced green onions (1/4 cup)
• Minced ginger (1 tbsp)
• Soy sauce (1 tbsp)
• Shaoxing wine (1/2 tbsp) (good luck finding, I used rice wine) 
• Toasted sesame oil (1 tsp)
• Cornstarch (1 tsp)
• White pepper (1/4 tsp) 
• Wonton wrappers (if frozen, set out for 30 min to thaw)

Mapo Sauce

• Oil (1 tbsp)
• Ground turkey (1/2 lb)
• Doubanjiang (1.5 tbsp) (hard to find, used Korean chili paste instead) 
• Garlic (2 cloves, minced)
• Chicken stock (1 cup)
• Soy sauce (1 tbsp)
• Cornstarch (1 tbsp, whisked into 2 tbsp water)
• Toppings:
  • Green onions (sliced)
  • Sesame seeds 

Directions

Wontons

1. In a bowl, mix together the turkey, ginger, green onions, soy, Shaoxing/wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper.
2. Take a wonton wrapper and place 2 teaspoons of the meat filling in the middle. Dip your finger into water and lightly wet the edges of the wrapper. Fold in half and pinch to seal. Bring the opposite bottom edges together, wet, and pinch to seal.
   1. Alternatively, just wet the edges of the wrapper and bring together and pinch into a small pouch. Keep the wrappers and finished wonton covered with saran wrap or wet paper towel, as you work, to keep them from drying out.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium high heat and start on the Mapo Sauce. 
4. When the water for the wontons is at a rapid boil, add in wontons. Stir gently so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on size) or until cooked through – cut one open to check.

Mapo Sauce

1. In a separate pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up, until the turkey is cooked through. Turn down the heat and add the doubanjiang/chili paste and cook, stirring, until the oils release from the doubanjiang and everything looks bright red.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
3. Add the stock and soy sauce and bring the heat up so everything comes up to a simmer. 
4. Stir in the cornstarch-mixture and bring up to a gentle simmer, until the sauce is thick and glossy, about 1 minute. Set aside.
5. Drain well and toss in the Mapo sauce. 
6. Garnish with green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and cilantro, if desired.

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