Spicy Wonton Treats With Carolina Reaper Seasoning

Experimenting with ingredients and flavors to create homemade hot sauces can sometimes leave you wondering what to do with the creations that don't quite meet the definition of a great hot sauce... well it just might make a good addition to another recipe.

So after assessing what I had on hand in my refrigerator and pantry, I came up with these spicy wonton treats filled with yummy spicy goodness! And - while I know fried food isn't exactly heart healthy :/ These delicious bites are super low sodium and still packed with flavor!

For the failed hot sauce turned yummy beef seasoning:

2 medium red bell peppers

2 small sweet onions

2 roma tomatoes

2 jalapeños

2 habaneros

5 garlic cloves

juice from one lemon

1/4 of a cup of white wine vinegar

1/4 of a cup of distilled white vinegar

Spicy Wontons

1 pound of ground beef

2 cups of the "failed hot sauce turned yummy beef seasoning"

6 ounces of cream cheese

1 egg

1 package of at least 24 wonton wrappers about 3" x 3" in size

1 handful of cilantro

Enough oil to cover wontons when frying.

Carolina Reaper dried seasoning:

1 dehydrated Carolina Reaper pepper

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Gather all of the ingredients for the failed hot sauce turned yummy beef seasoning.

- Fill a pot with water and heat to boiling. This will be for the tomatoes.

- Grab a knife and cutting board and get ready to chop up some produce.

- Begin with removing any stem parts from the tomato.

- Slice the tomato across the width and length only cutting deep enough to pierce the skin. Then set aside, these will go into the boiling water.

- Chop up the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and habanero. You may choose to leave the seeds for a spicier sauce, or discard them.

- Peel and smash the garlic cloves.

- When the water starts to boil, place the tomatoes into the boiling water until you see the skin start to peel away. This will be approximately four minutes.

- Remove the tomatoes, let cool, and peel the skin from the tomatoes.

- Removing the skin is important because they sometimes have a bitter taste & the skin doesn't blend well and you might end up with pieces of skin that didn't blend small enough.

- Put the chopped produce into the blender.

- Add tomatoes to the blender

- Add vinegar to the blender

- Add juice from the lemon to the blender

- Then place the lid on your blender and blend! Start at a low speed and gradually increase speed.

- Blend until you have reached a consistency similar to a thin liquid salsa (see photos).

- When blending is complete set aside.

- In a mortar bowl add the dry ingredients for the Carolina Reaper Seasoning Blend... Dried Carolina Reaper, garlic powder, onion, powder, black pepper, kosher salt, smoked paprika, and ground mustard.

- Using the pestle crush together the ingredients.

- Set aside

---- If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you could use a small food processor (I have a small one for grounding coffee beans), or anything else that you can think of the crush and grind that Carolina Reaper to blend into the other dry seasonings. Just make sure to wash it well when you have finished using it.

- Grab a pan, heat, and add the ground beef.

- Lightly brown the beef, drain the fat / liquid, and return the beef to the pan.

- Add the hot sauce / beef sauce you made in the previous steps.

- Simmer on medium heat until liquid has reduced and the beef has absorbed the sauce (about 15-20 minutes).

- Turn burner to low and add the cream cheese. Stir in until completely blended with the beef mixture.

- Set aside and let cool enough to handle.

- Set up a working area to easily assemble your wontons.

- Get your oil ready for frying

- Whisk one egg in a bowl

- Chop up the cilantro

- Place one wonton wrapper onto a plate. I put a paper towel on the plate to keep the wonton from sticking to the glass plate. I have also used a paper plate for this process.

- Using a brush (or your finger if you don't have a brush) lightly coat the edges of the wonton wrapper with the egg.

- Place about two teaspoons of the beef mixture onto the center of the wonton.

- Sprinkle a pinch of cilantro onto the beef mixture.

- Press together the two opposite corners as show in the photos, and then the other two corners, to form somewhat of a square (see photos).

- Try and press out as much air as you can when pressing the corners together. If there is too much air, then it might cause them to come apart during the frying process.

- Set aside and repeat until you have used all of your beef mixture, or you have enough. I made about 24 and had a little mixture left - maybe enough to make an addition 12.

---- About half way through (or when you are almost done assembling the wontons) start to heat your frying oil. I used Canola oil, but I am sure vegetable oil would be fine too.

---- I am unsure about what the temperature of the oil is, as I do not deep fry regularly and kind of just wing it with the temperature when I do.

- When the oil is heated, place about 4-5 wontons into the oil.

- When they are golden brown, about a minute or two, remove them and place onto a plate with a paper towel.

- For a some extra heat (spiciness) - While still hot sprinkle some Carolina Reaper seasoning onto the fried wontons.

--- I used a dutch oven pan for my frying oil

--- Use gloves or wash hand very well with soap and water after handling the Carolina Reaper. Careful not to touch your eyes!!!!

--- The Carolina Reaper can be quite spicy for someone who doesn't eat spicy food regularly ... use sparingly in this case.

--- I obtained my dried Carolina Reapers from Pucker Butt --- https://puckerbuttpeppercompany.com

Sit back and enjoy!

Never let a failed hot sauce set you back! Make adjustments if needed, or even find another interesting way to use what you have already created :)