Recipe: Crispy Al Pastor Pork Wontons - Jess Pryles (2024)

Ingredients

Scale

2–3 rings of fresh pineapple (roughly 1 cup when chopped finely)

spray oil

1 lb ground pork

large handful cilantro, finely chopped

zest of one orange

2 teaspoons guajillo powder

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon annatto powder (optional)

wonton wrappers

4–6 cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying

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1. Heat a grill or stove-top griddle, and spray with a little oil. Remove any skin from the pineapple. Once hot, place the pineapple rings on the griddle, and sear for a few minutes per side until color develops. Remove from griddle then allow to cool. Once cool, remove the core (if tough) and chop the pineapple into small pieces, less than 1/4 inch in size. You want to keep some texture, but if they are too big they will create problems when it comes time to fill the wontons.
2. In a large bowl, place ground pork, cilantro, orange zest, guajillo and chipotle powders, garlic, cumin, salt, oregano, onion powder and annatto. Mix and combine well so spices are evenly distributed. Add in pineapple pieces and stir to combine.
3. Prepare a station with a board, a plate or tray, a small bowl of water with a pastry brush, the wonton skins and the filling. Working one at a time, take a wonton skin and place 1-2 teaspoon of filling inside. Be careful not to overfill. Use the pastry brush to spread a little water at the edges, then fold one side over the other to seal the wonton, making sure there are no air bubbles. You can use your finger to spread a little water if you dont have a pastry brush. Place formed wonton on the plate/tray. Finish forming all the wontons.
4. A note on folding: the easiest shape will be to simply fold into a triangle. The ones you see in the pics above are ‘nurses caps’. To make these, fold the wonton over the filling in half, then bring two sides together and pinch to hold, sealing with a little water. As long as you seal the skin properly, any shape will still be delicious.
5. In a small sized pot or medium saucepan, heat the oil to 375f. The smaller pot allows you to fry more efficiently in batches. Line a large plate with a paper towel to receive the wontons once they are finished frying.
6. Working in batches of 4-6, place the wontons in the oil and fry until deep golden brown. You may need to turn them frequently to make sure they brown on all sides, as they will float to the surface. I find it easiest to use a spider or skimmer, you can simply hold the wontons under the oil so they cook evenly. Repeat frying until all remaining wontons are cooked, allowing the oil to come back up to 375f between batched. Serve immediately.