pan-fried pork wontons;
Pan-fried pork wontons are so homey to me because they remind me of childhood. Delicious pork filling wrapped in a chewy thin wrapper and just perfect to dip in soy sauce or dumpling sauce. It does take a bit of time to make a large quantity of pork wontons or dumplings, but you can make them in big batches and freeze them. Work once, enjoy multiple times!
I’d make pork wontons with my mom or my sister and we’d help fill a big platter of wontons. Funnily enough we never really made dumplings in my childhood. My mom said it was harder, and she made them a lot as a child. My best friend taught me recently how to fold dumplings and it wasn’t quite so hard as I made it out to be in my head.
I actually think the wonton folding is a bit harder. I remember being very confused as a child on how to achieve the classic twist shape. Now it’s second nature but I struggled with it then. But there are multiple options for folding that you can do. I tried to break down the classics into easy steps here and show visuals.
I really try not to be “that blog” that bores you with personal anecdotes but I just have to share my crazy day with you for a sec here. My partner left early because he was headed across pretty much the entire length of the Orange Metro line in DC. So he was gone before I even got up this morning. I knew I had to take the dog out this morning before heading to work—easy right? WRONG!
Right as we finished our walk, and after I took his harness off, our Shiba Inu Kenichi dashed out the door! Right into the street with oncoming traffic (he’s fine) and had a grand old time running away from me for a solid like 30 minutes. Thank goodness it was early and there weren’t many cars and he quickly crossed the street!
I only caught Kenichi thanks to a very nice man named JC that distracted him long enough for me to sneak up and snag him. And then I had to carry a 45lb dog a quarter mile cuz I sure as heck wasn’t going to let him escape again. I’d dropped the leash when I ran after him.
I just kinda gave up on going to work for the day after that. I had terrible cramps and adrenaline and a headache, thanks to that impromptu panic workout. Kenichi was quite proud of himself. Even JC remarked that he had a super sweet and playful temperament.
On the bright side, working from home meant more time to prep wontons after working from home. And once my partner got home he helped me fold them and was honestly better than me half the time getting the little flap to stick down!
Okay, crazy dog escapee aside, these pan-fried wontons did a decent job at redeeming the day for me! Growing up, pan-fried wontons was more of a lunch meal for 4 people. Lunch portions are a little more manageable by the time you sit and fold them, and considering you need to pan fry them in a single layer.
Wonton wrappers are square, and more traditionally yellow; as opposed to dumpling wrappers which are white, round, and typically a fair bit thicker. This pork filling works with either of them, so you can adapt based on what’s available to you!
traditional wonton fold;
To fold a single wonton, place a small, ~ 1/2 Tbsp of filling in the center of the square wonton wrapper. Dab the edge all the way around with water to act as the “glue” as you fold.
For a traditional fold, fold one corner across to the opposite corner to create an isosceles triangle. Crimp the edges together.
Fold the top point down, then take the two remaining points and twist them together to find each other. Press together tightly to seal. Feel free to add another dab of water before pressing to keep them sealed.
The finished wonton will sit on the first fold flap to help pin it down, or at least the flap will point toward the bottom.
envelope wonton fold;
A simpler fold (no twisting necessary) can be the “envelope”. Start out the same way by making a triangle and crimping the edges together. Then bring the right and left points together to meet and press together.
Fold the top point down over the opposite site and use a dab of water to help it stay in place. It should look like a cute little envelope, hence the name.
jacket wonton fold;
To make a jacket fold (different than the other two), start by dabbing water around the edge of your wrapper and folding in half to make a rectangle shape. Crimp together the edges.
From there, fold over the top edge down to the filling (this will be the “collar” of the jacket). Then grasp the two remaining edges and bring them together to meet. This will form the two sides of the jacket meeting together at the “zipper”. Press where they meet together to seal (add another dab of water as needed).
pleated dumpling fold;
This requires a round dumpling wrapper. Again fill the wrapper with filling. In the case of dumplings, the thicker wrapper and wider pocket allows it to take more filling. I probably get close to a Tbsp in each one but adjust as you need. I sort of press the filling into an oblong or crescent shape so you have a consistent edge to work with for the fold.
Dab around the edges of the round wrapper with water. Then, without pressing too firmly, bring the edges together and fold the dumpling in half. Crimp the edges together one pleat at a time, starting from the center and working outwards.
Fold the dough a tiny bit over itself and press firmly to create a pleat. Continue to form pleats to the edge, then finish the other side, mirroring pleats out to the opposite edge.
Have some extra wrappers left over? Dont sweat it. My filling and wrappers never seem to come out quite early. If you need to use up a few stragglers, I highly recommend my apple pie tacos, southwest dip cups, or homemade mozzarella sticks (wrap string cheese in a wrapper and bake).
The cooking method of these is pan frying, of course but also steaming them in the pan to fully cook all the way to the tippy top. To achieve the best pan fried pork wontons, start with a splash of oil in a hot pan.
Add the wontons in a single layer, with the bottoms touching the pan. Let the bottoms brown ~2/3 of the darkness you prefer. Depending on how hot your pan is this can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes.
Once browned, add water to the pan (I eyeball it but for a 12” skillet, we’re probably talking like a 1/4 cup or less of water. add the water and cover with a pan and let that baby steam. Check back on it every 2-3 minutes until the water boils off and the wontons are cooked all the way through. Using the lid should help the steam reach even the tops of your pork wontons. Sometimes I’ll cut one open to ensure the pork is fully cooked through; just to be safe.
Once satisfied with the doneness of your pork wontons, remove the lid and allow the bottoms to crisp up in the pan again. You can add a splash of oil if the bottoms are sticking (it’s ok for them to be sticking at this point).
Once crisp, grab them up from the pan and serve warm!
secrets to success;
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more recipes;
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pan-fried pork wontons;
Ingredients
- 1¼ lb ground pork
- 3 scallions greens only, diced
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1½ Tbsp ginger minced
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 3-5 leaves Napa cabbage shredded
- 75-100 wonton wrappers square, thin, wrappers (roughly 2 16oz packages but may depend on brand)
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add 1¼ lb ground pork, chopped scallion greens from 3 stalks (discard whites), 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 egg, and 1 tsp oyster sauce
- (Optional) You can add peeled ginger, cabbage leaves, and garlic cloves to a small chopper or food processor and blend to speed up the dicing process. Skip the next three steps if using an electric chopper.
- Peel and mince garlic, then add it to a large bowl.
- Peel the ginger using a spoon to scrape away the "bark" coating. You can also use a pairing knife, but you tend to lose more ginger that way. Finely dice the ginger root and add it to the bowl with the garlic.
- Wash and dry cabbage leaves, and shred them into julienned 1"-2" pieces. Add to the large bowl with the ginger and garlic.
- Stir the pork mixture together until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Set out your wonton wrappers, the filling, a small bowl of water, and a platter to place the folded wontons.
- Fold your wontons to the desired shape. Classic wonton: To fold a classic wonton shape, take a square wonton wrapper and wet the edges. Place a heaping tsp of pork filling in the center, then fold the wrapper on the diagonal to make a triangle. Press together the edges to seal it shut. Fold over the top point of the triangle, then twist the remaining two corners in opposite directions and press together so they stick. You can add another tiny dollop of water to make the points stick."Jacket" wonton: To fold a "jacket" shape, take a square wonton wrapper and wet the edges. Place a heaping tsp of pork filling in the center, then fold the wrapper in half to make a rectangle. Press together the edges to seal it shut. Fold down the sealed top partway. Then, take the two folded edge corners and press them together. Add a tiny dollop of water before pressing together to help it stick.Set aside on the platter and repeat until all filling or wrappers are used up. Try to make it come out even, but often you'll have leftovers.
- To cook your wontons, heat oil in the bottom of a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. (You may need multiple pans and/or multiple batches to cook the wontons.)
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the wontons in a single layer to the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook undisturbed for 1-3 minutes or until the bottoms start to get brown and crisp.
- Add water to the pan and cover with a lid to steam for 5-8 minutes or wrappers are translucent and pork filling is cooked. Usually once the water is mostly gone is a good
- Add water to the pan and cover with a lid to steam 5-8 minutes. The exact amount of water needed may vary by quantity cooking and pan size, but you can always add more. I usually use ¼-⅓ cup for a 12-inch skillet. You can always remove a wonton and cut it in half to check the filling. You're looking for the skins to become translucent and the filling to be firm and resistant but not spongy or hard.Once most of the water has steamed the wontons, remove the lid and let the bottoms crisp back up. Serve warm with soy sauce.
- Once the water has steamed the wontons sufficiently, remove the lid and add a splash of oil back to the pan. Cook for another 1-3 minutes or until bottoms are nice and crisp and brown. Remove to a plate and serve immediately with soy sauce or sauce of choice.
3 Comments
cookie dough ice cream mochi; – tipsychocochip
October 3, 2016 at 10:18 am
[…] the sweet rice flour! I found mine at the Asian grocery (perfect excuse for making more wontons this weekend!) in the same area as regular rice flour, tapioca flour, etc. “Sweet rice […]
cookie dough ice cream mochi; | Best With Chocolate
July 26, 2023 at 4:20 am
[…] this recipe. I find mine at the Asian grocery store (perfect time to grab wonton wrappers and make pork wontons too!). It’s usually with the other flours like rice flour, tapioca flour, etc. But glutinous […]
ice cream mochi; | Best With Chocolate
July 26, 2023 at 4:23 am
[…] this recipe. I find mine at the Asian grocery store (perfect time to grab wonton wrappers and make pork wontons too!). It’s usually with the other flours like rice flour, tapioca flour, etc. But glutinous […]