Crispy-Edged Wontons ( Traditional Chinese Dumplings )
Craving some mouthwatering fried wontons? These bad boys are next level delicious, with their delicate, soaring highness stemming from their ultra-thin skin. The Cantonese name says it all, "swallowing clouds," and boy do they live up to it.
Commercial wonton skins can be disappointingly chunky, resulting in a chewy mess post-fry. Ditch those and opt for Hong Kong-style, paper-thin wonton skins from your local Asian market or whip some up at home—the homemade route is a game changer.
While it's traditional to dip fried wontons in sweet and sour sauce, why limit yourself? Give 'em a bath in hot broth and enjoy their luscious, chewy texture enriching your soup instead.
In the spirit of experimentation, here's a tutorial on how to fold a wonton by the extraordinary culinary maestra, Andrea Nguyen (watch it here).
This scrumptious recipe was featured in our Chinese New Year Dishes photo gallery, and if you're yearning for more Cantonese-inspired delights, why not try our easy ginger chicken congee recipe?
Yield: Tickle those taste buds with 48 wontons—a snack-sized feast for 6 to 8 people.
A Legen-dary Filling
Feeling particularly crafty? Take the filling game to the next level with homemade thin Hong Kong-style wonton skins. Here's the recipe for how to make thin wonton skins like a boss!
- Yield: A roll of 50 to 60 wonton skins
Ingredients (5)
For the dough:
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Water
- Salt (a pinch)
Follow the recipe above to create these toothsome, ultra-thin wonton skins. Now, prepare yourself for the jaw-dropping wonton filling!
Ingredients (8)
For the filling:
- 1/3 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into pea-size pieces (4 1/2 ounces net weight)
- 1/4 pound ground pork, fattier kind preferred, coarsely chopped to loosen
- 1 scallion (white and green parts), finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch of black or white pepper
To form and cook:
- Your kick-ass, homemade wonton skins
- Canola or peanut oil, for deep-frying
- 1 cup Sweet and Sour Sauce (see recipe intro)
Instructions (same as before)
- To make the filling, combine the shrimp, pork, scallion, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and use chopsticks or a fork to mix well. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes before using, or refrigerate for up to a day in advance. You should have about 1 cup.
- Before assembling the wontons, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with cornstarch. Fill each wonton skin with about 1 teaspoon of the filling, creating triangles, flower buds, or nurse's caps. As you work, put the finished wontons on the prepared baking sheet. When all are made, loosely cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying. The wontons also can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours; let them sit at room temperature to remove the chill before frying.
- Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok, deep skillet, or 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to about 325°F on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if it takes about 2 seconds for bubbles to rise and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.)
- Working in batches of 4 to 6, slide the wontons into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. Use a skimmer to transfer to a rack to drain.
- Arrange the wontons on a platter and serve hot as finger food along with the sauce for dipping.
Enjoy this exquisite dish and the endless entertainment of fluffy, golden crispy clouds enveloping you in the depths of pleasure. Indulge responsibly!
Prepare toothsome, ultra-thin Cantonese-style wonton skins using the provided recipe, containing all-purpose flour, cornstarch, egg, water, and a pinch of salt. Then, prepare the filling by combining 1/3 pound peeled shrimp, 1/4 pound ground pork, scallions, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper, let it rest for 30 minutes, and form the wontons using the prepared skins. Cook the wontons by deep-frying them in oil and serve them hot with sweet and sour sauce for dipping, yielding 48 pieces for a snack-sized feast of 6 to 8 people.
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