Wonton (馄饨) is a favorite Chinese dumpling that is crispy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside. You can easily make your own at home with my Air Fryer Wontons recipe.
The fun part of making wontons is folding the wonton wrapper (dumpling skin) into different styles. Did you know that there are 5 ways to fold a wonton wrapper? Learn how to expertly fold a wonton with this guide, as well as essential tips when folding.
- Everything About Wonton Wrapper
- What You Need To Know When Folding A Wonton Wrapper
- How To Fold A Wonton Wrapper
Everything About Wonton Wrappers
What ultimately makes wonton so appealing and crispy is its wrapper, also called wonton skin or dumpling skin. The dough of the wrapper is usually made of bread flour and water, sometimes with egg as well. The ingredients are similar to making Asian egg noodles and pasta noodles.
However, instead of shaping the dough into stringy noodles, it is rolled into thin square sheets. The sheets are created to be durable enough to hold a pillow of filling made of vegetables, meat, and seasonings. It can be cooked in different ways, including boiling, pan frying, deep frying, and air frying.
The wonton wrapper is not just folded, but it is sealed with a dab of water to hold the ingredients inside. The edges of the wrapper meet and are pinched together with a bit of water to seal. This is essential to prevent the wrapper from opening and spilling the filling while cooking.
What You Need To Know When Folding A Wonton Wrapper
It can be challenging to make your first wonton. I understand! The first time around isn’t always a breeze.
In order to fold wontons correctly, several factors need to be taken into consideration. These factors make a difference in the success and quality of your homemade wontons. From moisture to temperature and filling, these can affect the wonton wrappers and the folding process. The following recommendations I share below can help you fill and fold wontons properly.
- Filling: The filling should not be too wet. You may need to drain it or add a bit of flour to lessen the moisture. If the filling is too wet, the wonton wrapper will soften and tear. Moreover, you should not overfill the wrapper with too much filling. Fill the center of the wrapper with about 1 tsp filling to prevent it from bursting because of overfilling.
- Seal: The wrapper should be completely sealed with a dab of water. All sides and edges should not have an opening. You can seal the wonton wrapper by dipping your fingertip in water and wiping the water residue to the parts where you need to close. In addition, you should make sure there is no air inside before sealing. The air must be pushed out as you seal the wonton, or else the skin will inflate and burst.
- Temperature: The wrappers should be at room temperature before use. If you remove it from the fridge or freezer, ensure it comes to room temperature before filling and folding the wonton wrapper. Cold wrappers tend to be stiff and may break or crack if you try to fold them.
- Moisture: If you plan to store the wrappers before using them or have leftover wrappers, make sure to keep them in an airtight container or cover them in a damp towel. This keeps the moisture and prevents the wrappers from hardening and drying out, making them unusable or hard to work with.
How To Fold A Wonton Wrapper
Now that you know more about wonton wrappers and the do’s and don’ts, you can start folding the wontons in 5 different ways. I will show you 5 common ways to fold wontons that are easy to follow and uncomplicated. Choose from among my 5 wonton folds:
- Ingot Wonton – Similar to a sailor hat with a rounded center.
- Sichuan Chaoshou – Similar to a sailor hat with a rounded center, slightly different in shape to Ingot Wonton. It is the folding method used to make Sichuan Wontons in Chili Oil.
- Bow Tie Wonton– Looks like a bow tie with a knot in the middle.
- Fish Wonton– Looks like a fish with a long tail.
- One Step Wonton – The simplest and easiest style that requires chopsticks to help in the process.
Which style is the best? Well, it depends on your preferences. If you prefer the fastest method, go for One Step Wonton. If you want it to look aesthetically pleasing, use the Bow Tie Wonton and Fish Wonton methods. Watch me fold a wonton through my short tutorial video on Tiktok and Instagram as you follow the instructions below.
Ingot Wonton
Make a rectangle by folding the wrapper in half.
Then, from the folded side of the rectangle, hold both corners and bring them together to meet in the middle.
Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on where you want the two sides to stick together. The two corners should overlap on top of each other to stick together for sealing.
Pinch the two sides to seal.
Sichuan Chaoshou
Make a triangle by folding the wrapper in half.
Then, from the folded side of the triangle, take the left and right pointed ends and bring them together.
Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on the two pointed ends of the triangle. Pinch the two pointed ends together to seal.
Bow Tie Wonton
Fold the wrapper in half to make a rectangle.
Then, fold it again in half to make a square.
Next, pinch and hold the corner of the folded side of the square (not the side with the opened flaps).
While you are holding the folded corner, bring the lower flap up and invert.
Then, take the folded corner you are pinching and bring it to the middle to stick with the other side. It should look like a bow tie from this point. Dab some water to seal it.
Fish Wonton
Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle. But instead of making it into a perfect triangle, fold it in a way that the other half is slanted to the right, giving you two pointed ends on top or a letter M.
- Start pleating the top ends from the left side until you reach the right side.
Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on the pleated top parts to seal. The pleated side should look like the tail of a fish.
One Step Wonton
Place a wonton wrapper on one hand. Then, add the filling in the center using chopsticks.
With the chopsticks still in place, scrunch the wrapper towards the chopsticks with your hand and slide the chopsticks out.
Press the ends firmly to form a creased pouch.
Dab a bit of water at the creased top ends and seal.
Final Thoughts
Make wontons from scratch with my simple Air Fryer Wontons (Fried Pork Dumplings) recipe. Use any of my 5 recommended ways to fold wontons and don’t forget my tips when folding them.
Have you tried following my recipe? Let me know how it went by sharing them in the comments section below. Follow Kitchen Misadventures on social media, such as Instagram and Tiktok, for more recipe guides and tutorial videos.
5 Easy Ways To Fold A Wonton
Ingredients
- filling
- wonton wrappers
- water
Instructions
Ingot Wonton
- Make a rectangle by folding the wrapper in half.
- Then, from the folded side of the rectangle, hold both corners and bring them together to meet in the middle.
- Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on where you want the two sides to stick together. The two corners should overlap on top of each other to stick together for sealing.
- Pinch the two sides to seal.
Sichuan Chaoshou
- Make a triangle by folding the wrapper in half.
- Then, from the folded side of the triangle, take the left and right pointed ends and bring them together.
- Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on the two pointed ends of the triangle.
- Pinch the two pointed ends together to seal.
Bow Tie Wonton
- Fold the wrapper in half to make a rectangle.
- Then, fold it again in half to make a square.
- Next, pinch and hold the corner of the folded side of the square (not the side with the opened flaps).
- While you are holding the folded corner, bring the lower flap up and invert.
- Then, take the folded corner you are pinching and bring it to the middle to stick with the other side. It should look like a bow tie from this point.
- Dab some water to seal it.
Fish Wonton
- Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle. But instead of making it into a perfect triangle, fold it in a way that the other half is slanted to the right, giving you two pointed ends on top or a letter M.
- Start pleating the top ends from the left side until you reach the right side.
- Next, dip your fingertips in water and wipe them on the pleated top parts to seal. The pleated side should look like the tail of a fish.
One Step Wonton
- Place a wonton wrapper on one hand.
- Then, add the filling in the center using chopsticks.
- With the chopsticks still in place, scrunch the wrapper towards the chopsticks with your hand and slide the chopsticks out.
- Press the ends firmly to form a creased pouch
- Dab a bit of water at the creased top ends and seal.
