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Watch My Video: How to Make and Wrap Wontons
Small Bite with Big Flavor
Wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling. They come in small parcels and are available in many forms: steamed, deep-fried or in wonton soup.
What is inside of a wonton? The inside contains a savory meat or seafood filling and a special yellow color and rectangle wrapper wraps the filling inside a wonton. The yellow color comes from egg yolk as wonton wrappers do contain eggs.
Wontons Vs Dumplings
Many people are wondering what is the difference between a wonton and a dumpling? Simply put, wontons are dumplings. They are under the big umbrella of Chinese dumplings and they are a subset of dumplings.
What Is Fried Wonton?
Fried wontons are deep-fried to golden brown and popular in the Chinese restaurants here in the United States.
They are an appetizer and come with a pinkish-red Chinese sweet and sour dipping sauce. Everyone loves them because they are so crispy, delicious and the sweet and sour sauce makes them even more appetizing. Once you start eating, you just can’t stop!
My wontons recipe is very easy take less than 30 minutes to make at home. First of all, you make the filling. My recipe calls for a shrimp with ground pork filling. I added some water chestnuts for an extra crunch and texture.
You can also use chicken or turkey as the filling. You may add in some shrimp, scallop or crab if you like.
Next, you need to learn the basic technique of how to wrap Chinese dumplings by watching the video above. To deep-fry, make sure you use a neutral cooking oil such as vegetable oil. After deep-frying, make sure you drain the excess oil with paper towels.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 311 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
This meal is best served as an appetizer. For a wholesome Chinese meal at home, I recommend the following recipes.
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Fried Wontons Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. (250g) ground pork, chicken or turkey
- 1/4 lb. (115g) shrimp, chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1 pack store-bought wonton wrappers
- water (for sealing)
- vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the ground pork, shrimp, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper together. Stir to combine well to form a sticky filling.
- To wrap the wontons, lay a piece of the wonton wrapper on your palm and add 1/2 tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Use 1 teaspoon filling if you are a beginner.) Dip your index finger into the sealing water and trace it on the outer edges of the wonton wrapper.
- You can wrap the wontons three ways. To make a triangle, just fold it up to form a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal tight. To make them into the pretty shape (far left in the above picture), just pull the two corners of the triangle down so one overlaps the other, pinch and seal with water.
- To make them into Hong Kong style wonton (far right in the above picture), please watch my video at the top of this post.
- Heat up some oil for deep-frying. Once the oil is fully heated, deep fry the wontons until golden brown. Drain the excess oil with paper towels. Serve hot with Chinese sweet and sour sauce or Thai sweet chili sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
These were delicious! Especially with BBQ sauce!
Yummy!
I did not have shrimp, I used a piece of flounder. I also added 8oz of cream cheese.OMG they were delicious! I could not make them fast enough before my family emptied the plate?
Yum, sounds so good!
WOW these just made me DROOL .. (for real, not just saying that… I drooled on myself)- I love making this dish but your pictures and presentation is insane! LOVE IT!
Love it. My Grandma used to make this for me when i was a little kid. I still remember those hot summer days, we were sweating all over in your streamed dresses. Long gone those days. Thank you for your recipe. It reminds a lot of thing.
Thanks Elena.
Your recipe is very similar to the one I have been using since the 1970s, but the fish sauce looks like a terrific addition to my old standby. I love the idea of using the Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping–I’ve always hated that orangey stuff they serve in many restaurants, although I make an apricot sauce that is pretty good. My 8 yr old grandson likes the sweet and slightly spicy Thai chili sauce on everything from French fries to scrambled eggs to pork chops, and it’s a must for any sort of chicken.
Wow these look amazing! Is there a way to make these with rice wrappers instead of wonton wrappers? Several of my family members cannot eat wheat.
just found out your blog from your entry to DMBLGIT Nov 2006…you have a great blog & beautiful photos!
Mott – They would get soggy…I suggest you wrap the wontons on the same day you are going to deep fry them, preferably right after you wrap them.
Peeling water chestnuts shouldn’t be that hard, just use the right peeler. Plus you only need a couple of them. ;)
Thanks for visiting my blog and glad that you like it. :)
I’m wondering if these wontons can be wrapped a day earlier, refridgerated and fried the next day? Or..would it get soggy?
Since peeling waterchestnuts are a killer (to me!)..I’m wondering if one can use turnips instead?
This is a TFIT (thank god it’s there!) blog for me..especially since I’m chewing my fingers. Thank you!
Tonixe – hmmm…wontons in pubs? Well have to check them out.
Bayi – yep on the water chestnuts. Taking about boiling, I actually used the leftover skins and made some boiled shrimp wontons…stay tuned for my post soon!
CP – I did wrap those dumplings. They are my hands…no cheating. ;)