Truth be told, nothing says “appetiser” at a Chinese restaurant more than fried wontons do. Generally, wontons are relatively simple and easy to prepare. Though their style and delivery make them a varied dish that is a favourite of many.Though there are a few variants of fried wonton, the more common ones include steamed, deep-fried, or even soup based.
In fact, their variety often adds to the ongoing confusion of the difference between a wonton and a dumpling? Mostly, wontons are dumplings, and dumplings are a broader umbrella term used to describe the vast and ever-expanding family of Chinese dumplings.However, the dumplings are only half the story.
Some would argue (myself included) that the dipping sauce has an equally vital role to play when it comes to satisfying one’s taste palate. Personally, the famous sweet and sour (and sometimes slightly spicy) dipping sauce has my vote. The sweet and sour sauce has a certain zest that plays well with the delicious and tender fillings of the fried wonton. Thus, making for an exciting appetiser before the main course.
Ingredients (Serves 4 People):
- 220 g of your choice of filling (pork, shrimp, or chicken)
- 100 g of thinly chopped shrimps
- 1 pack of wonton wrappers
- ½ teaspoon of sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon of soy sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Water
Directions:
- Mix the filling of your choice (I went with pork) with the shrimps, white pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce thoroughly together. Evenly mix it till a sticky mixture is formed as this will serve as the tender goodness in the fried wonton!
- Before wrapping the wonton, add one teaspoon of the meat filling into the middle of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper over and apply water to seal and keep the wonton into shape.
- From here, things get a bit tricky as there are quite a few shapes we can go with moulding the wonton into. For simplicity’s sake, let’s form a simple triangle shape.
- To make a triangular wonton, fold the wonton wrapper diagonally, and use water to seal the edge of the wrapper. You wouldn’t want your wonton to spill during the frying!
- Lastly, heat up the vegetable oil in a pan and carefully put the wontons into said pan. Fry the wontons to a golden brown colour and serve piping hot with the dipping sauce of your choice!
