I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like wonton. It’s like the universal finger food that appeals to anyone anywhere. They’re great as hors d’oeuvres and are a hit at potlucks and dinner parties.

They’re really easy to make too. But if you’re making them for a party, you’re best getting an early start because you have to hand-fold each one, then deep-fry them in batches and that takes time.

What you need to do first is marinate your ground meat with salt, pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil. You can pretty much use any kind of meat, or combinations of meat. I like to use ground pork. But you can use chicken, chicken and pork, pork and shrimp.

For an element of surprise and to have your guests raving for days, add some finely chopped water chestnuts for that crunch.

You can get the wonton skin in packs at the frozen section of the grocery store. Use a teaspoon to place a small scoop of marinated meat (not too much or the meat won’t cook through) at the center of the wonton skin.

Dab a bit of water all round the meat. Lift one side of the wonton skin to fold into a triangle. Press down gently all around the meat. The water will act as a glue and seal the meat in nicely.

Heat some oil in the wok. To test if the oil is hot enough, stand your chopsticks in it, and if the oil bubbles and sizzles, it’s ready.

Lay each wonton straight with the wings stretched out as much as you can. Understandably as the wok gets crowded, you’ll get some folded wings, which are okay too. So maybe some butterflies are resting or doing a dance, huh ?

Fish the wontons out of the wok as soon as they start turning a light brown. Wonton skins are very thin and burn easily. Remember even after you remove them from the wok, the heat will keep them cooking for a while. You want your wontons golden brown, not charcoal black.

Leave wontons on a strainer or paper towels to drain away/soak up the excess oil. Now that wasn’t too hard, was it? The hardest part is perhaps standing in the heat of the wok. But hey, if you have one of those new-fangled electric deep fryers, by all means, use it.

Aren’t these butterfly wontons pretty enough to eat?

I don’t typically make a dip to go with my wontons. I use chili sauce and ketchup straight out of the bottle. But I notice Chinese restaurants in the US serve a sort of special dip. So I concocted my own since my friends had all come to expect it.

With a bit of oil in the wok, I saute some chopped garlic. Then add ketchup, a dash of chili sauce (yes, only a dash), juice from half a lemon and a bit of water to dilute the sauce. Bring it to a quick boil. A drizzle of sesame oil and you’re done!

The dip is sweet and sour with a slightly spicy tang and a distinct fragrance from the garlic and sesame oil. Use a nice little bowl for the dip and place it on your tray of butterfly wontons! There you go…

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