There’s something incredibly comforting about a steaming bowl of wontons. Whether you’re looking for a quick snack or a satisfying dinner, this classic Chinese dish is sure to warm you up on a freezing Winter day. 

The classic short soup is served in a clear chicken broth, but these days I often skip the soup and have boiled wontons with Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp oil and a side of stir fried asian greens. 

My family has run Chinese restaurants since first arriving in Australia in the 1950s, and there was always a bag of frozen wontons in the freezer at my grandma’s house. As is the way with family recipes, it’s all done by feel. Getting someone to write down the ingredients in measurable quantities is beyond difficult. Instead, I adapted this filling recipe from Maggie Zhu’s Chinese food blog, Omnivores Cookbook. 

Traditional wontons are a combination of minced pork and prawns, but I usually opt for a pork only mixture. I tend to make a big batch for the freezer – prawns are commonly frozen then thawed, and shouldn’t be re-frozen. 

Wrappers and sauces, and even my favourite chilli crisp oil are all available at the major supermarkets. Cheaper, larger packets of wrappers can be found at the asian grocer for bulk wonton production. 

Filling

500g pork mince, or 300g pork mince and 200g prawns finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 spring onions chopped finely

1 tablespoon light soy sayce

2 tablespoons shaoxing Chinese cooking wine

1 ½  tablespoons sesame oil

The number of wrappers will vary slightly depending on how generous you are with the filling. I usually make around 75 wontons with this quantity of filling. 

Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and stir vigorously with chopsticks or a fork. You want the filling to be smooth and sticky. 

Wrapping your Wontons

There are many different shapes of wontons – from the simple rectangle to more complex pleated options. My current favourite is the triangular ingot – brief instructions for making it are below. Here is a helpful guide for a number of shapes with step by step pictures. If all else fails, opt for a simple half folded shape. Just make sure they are free of air bubbles and the edges are firmly sealed. Wonton are always delicious, no matter what shape they are! 

You will need a small bowl of water for your wonton assembly line. Dabbing a small amount of water around the edges of the wrapper helps seal in the filling. If freezing, prepare a tray lined with non stick baking paper. Once frozen, transfer the wontons into an airtight container. 

Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. Wet two adjacent edges with a small amount of water. Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle, smoothing out any air and pressing the edges to seal. With the right angle furthest away from you, hold the two bottom corners, bending them towards each other. Dab one side with water, press the other side onto it to seal them together.

To Cook 

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Once boiling, add the wontons, stirring briefly to stop them sticking to the bottom. Cook fresh wontons for 4 minutes – they should be floating. Frozen wontons take about 6-8 minutes to cook. Test one before serving to ensure it’s cooked through. 

Remove with a slotted spoon into the serving bowl. Enjoy with your favourite sauce and sides.