‘Chinese Lady’ Lorraine Witte teaches basics to feed soul

When Lorraine Lum was 7, she learned to cook rice perfectly to win the approval of her parents.

The daughter of hardworking Chinese immigrants who came to Hawaii in the 1940s, she soon graduated to folding wontons by the hundreds for her father’s restaurant, which earned her 10 cents an afternoon, enough to buy a movie ticket and popcorn. Of all the foods her father showed her to make, wontons were her favorite.

The sensory gratification of cooking and feeding people became a part of her identity, so it was natural for Lum, now Lorraine Witte, to become an Asian food consultant and lifelong teacher.

These days she is nicknamed “The Chinese Lady,” after the tag on her YouTube Channel. Witte authored her first e-cookbook at age 77 and has become a whiz at social media — “I love doing photos and Instagram!”

Now 80, she bubbles with the effervescence of someone decades younger, believing in serendipity and unlimited possibilities. “I don’t know why people are so amazed — they say: ‘Wow, you’re 80!’ I always say: ‘Well, should I be dead by now?’”

From her longtime home in San Francisco, Witte said her mantra is, “I want to learn something every day,” and she is eager for others to follow suit.

“I teach basic things that feed your soul, besides your body; it’s an attitude to make your life really full and whole.”

Her reward is to leave her students with some kind of skill and the confidence that they can feed people and make them happy, as she has tried to do all her life. “I want people to enjoy making food from scratch,” in itself, a tactile, meditative process, she said.

The story of her life is summed up in the title of her first e-book, 2014’s “A Pot of Rice to the Wonders of Wonton.” It contains 30 wonton recipes, encompassing everything from the traditional pork and shrimp — “the mother of all wontons” — to an innovative apple/cinnamon version with caramel sauce.

Many of her recipes employ non-Asian fillings or garnishes, including fried wontons filled with mozzarella cheese for dipping in a pizza sauce; or a Napoleon layered with avocado, shrimp and coleslaw.

The e-book was co-produced and photographed by Josimar King, who helped her master an Apple computer while in her 70s. King also shot dozens of cooking videos for her YouTube and other projects, and took photos for Witte’s second book, “The Chinese Lady Gets Saucy” (2015).

Witte is a natural in front of the camera, having played bit parts in Hollywood as a young adult. She became the national spokeswoman for Chung King Foods in the mid-1960s, when soy sauce was the only familiar Asian ingredient. She developed her own condiments line in the late 1970s, and was hired to teach by gourmet food stores such as Williams-Sonoma.

“I learned how to hustle early on,” she said, and after her husband died about 10 years ago, she drew on that resourcefulness.

Witte holds classes in her home and at The Civic Kitchen in San Francisco, one of about a dozen professional chefs there. Witte (who has a son and daughter) started her teaching career giving wonton lessons to children, and loved it so much she occasionally held free classes in churches and schools.

Witte may have risen to digital media heights unimagined by others her age, but she still likes to describe herself as the proud daughter of a Chinese butcher who had his own grocery store and restaurant in Kapahulu.

Her wonton book shares snapshots of a personal journey that began with cooking a perfect pot of rice and includes vignettes of her childhood during World War II, fond times with her father and highlights of her career.

Although her father seldom praised her outright, she said she knew he valued her by the way he took her under his wing. She was a girl in a culture that worshipped boys, yet he always encouraged her to “learn everything you can … because you never know.”

Witte did just that.

“I’ve never had a class in cooking or knife skills. I just watched,” she said.

While she still has extended family in Hawaii, she doesn’t visit often, but said she’d like to teach classes or attend a book signing here if the right opportunity arose.

NAPOLEON WONTONS

By Lorraine Witte

• 24 squares wonton pi
• Peanut oil, as needed
• 2 large, ripe Haas avocados, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• Chive sprigs, for garnish
• Sliced fresh fruit, for serving
• >> Filling 1:
• Half-pound red cabbage, shredded,
• 8 to 10 sprigs cilantro
• Half red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• >> Filling 2:
• Half-pound bay shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 1 (5-ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush oil on one side of each wonton skin and lay on cookie sheet. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, watching so it doesn’t burn.

Combine ingredients for Filling 1; set aside. Combine ingredients for Filling 2; set aside.

To assemble: Place 1 wonton crisp on a plate and cover with Filling 1.

Top with second crisp. Cover with 3 to 4 slices avocado; drizzle with a few drops sesame oil.

Place third crisp on top and cover with Filling 2. Garnish with sprigs of chives. Serve with sliced fruit. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including sliced fruit): 450 calories, 38 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 8 g protein.

WONTON WITH PORK AND SHRIMP

By Lorraine Witte

• 1 package square wonton skins
• 2 cups peanut oil, for frying
• >> Filling:
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water until soft, squeezed dry, cut in 1/2-inch pieces (discard stems)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

In a bowl, combine filling ingredients; refrigerate until ready to use.

Put 2 teaspoons filling in the middle of each wonton skin and fold in half diagonally to make a triangle. Wet edges to seal. Fold corners to meet in middle and seal, one corner on top of the other. Deep-fry in oil.

Variation: Instead of frying, wontons may be boiled in water or broth.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Witte can be reached at thechineselady@lorrainewitte.com.