Fried Wonton, Two Ways (炸云吞)

5 from 4 votes

Fried Wonton, Two Ways (炸云吞)

Juicy filling wrapped with crispy pastry, fried wontons make a crowd-pleasing appetizer. They can be either deep-fried or air-fried.

Prep Time25

Cook Time8

Total Time33

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: wontons

Calories: 39kcal

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

40 pieces wonton wrappers homemade or shop-bought

For the filling

8 oz ground pork or beef/chicken
7 oz shrimp raw and peeled, cut into cubes
1 stalk scallions finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger minced
3 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 pinch sugar

For frying

Neutral cooking oil see note 1

Optional sauce (choose one of the following)

Chili oil
Chili garlic sauce
Sweet chili sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the wrappers

If your wonton wrappers are frozen, thaw them in the fridge the night before. Do not remove the packaging until you’re ready to assemble to prevent them from drying out.

Mix the filling

Put ground pork and shrimp into a mixing bowl. Add scallions, ginger, water, and all the seasonings. Constantly stir in one direction until everything is well mixed and the liquid is fully absorbed.

Fold the wontons

Wet two neighboring sides of a wonton wrapper. Place a portion of the filling in the middle. Fold the wrapper into a triangle and pinch the edge to seal, making sure there is little air trapped inside.
Dab a little water over one of the triangle’s sharp corners. Bring the other sharp corner over and lay it on top of the wet corner. Pinch them together to stick (see note 2).

Option 1: Deep-fry

Heat cooking oil in a wok or a pot, about 2 inches (5 cm) deep. When it reaches about 350°F (180°C), turn the heat down to low, then gently slide in wontons one by one (see note 3).
Leave to fry until they become golden (flip them once or twice during the process for even browning). Fry in batches and do not overcrowd.

Option 2: Air-fry

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Brush a thin layer of oil over the wontons. Lay them over the crisper tray of the air fryer in a single layer without overlapping.
Leave to cook for about 5 minutes. Flip them and cook for a further 2 minutes or so (see note 4).

Store

Only fry what you intend to serve on the day. Store uncooked wontons in the freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost them in the fridge before frying.

Notes

1. Use cooking oil that has a high smoking point, such as sunflower, vegetable, sunflower, peanut, rapeseed oil, etc.

2. For other methods, check out my post on Six Ways to Fold Wontons.

3. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by dipping the tip of a chopstick. If bubbles appear immediately around it, the oil is hot enough.

4. The time required for air-frying may vary depending on the performance of the machine. Pull out the drawer to check and adjust if necessary.

Nutrition