The most exciting part of making wontons for me is to create creative wonton shapes. Here are some that work particularly well with store-bought wonton skins. I’ll also share my insights on selecting shapes for different wonton dishes, such as wonton soup, fried wontons, and steamed wontons.
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What’s the difference between homemade and store-bought wonton skins?
When it comes to homemade wontons, the quality of the skin is a significant concern. While the ingredients—egg, flour, and water—may be similar, quality varies depending on the technique and freshness. With equipment like a pasta machine, you can produce perfectly thin and uniform fresh wonton skins, which are ideal for making wontons. However, not everyone has a pasta machine at home. Usually, we use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to make wonton skins. They’re fresh but not as uniform since they’re handmade.
Store-bought wonton skins, made with modern techniques and machinery, are of high quality but are often frozen for longer storage. After defrosting, these skins can be dry and not sticky enough to hold the filling well. Therefore, for more complex shapes that require a soft, sticky wonton skin, store-bought skins may not be suitable. Also, always have a cup of water handy to moisten the skins and make them more adhesive.
Here are five simple wonton shapes that I find suitable for pre-made, frozen wonton skins. Remember to let the frozen skins thaw completely before starting to wrap, with a cup of water to moisten the skin. The filling can be a mixture of ground pork and shrimp, or ground pork/shrimp only, with egg, tapioca starch and some condiments like salt, oyster sauce, soy sauce and pepper.
Wonton Shape 1
This is the most common wonton shape in restaurants and street food stalls. If you’re making wontons at home for the first time, try this simple yet elegant shape.
It’s suitable for every wonton dish, whether steamed, deep-fried, or in soup. For fried wontons, I recommend this shape because it’s relatively flat and can save on cooking oil.
How to make it: Place a small amount of filling in the center of the wonton skin (pic 1). Moisten the edges with water, then fold the square skin into a triangle (pic 2). Fold each corner of the right triangle (pic 3) and press gently to ensure the filling is securely encased by the skin (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 2
Starting with a triangle, this shape is also cute and straightforward. However, because it’s not as flat as the first shape, I wouldn’t recommend it for fried wontons unless you have a fryer basket to save oil and cooking time.
How to make it: Follow the same steps as the first shape to create a triangle (pic 1-2). Then, moisten the hypotenuse (the longest side) (pic 3) and press the two ends of the triangle together (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 3
This shape is similar to shape 2, but you’ll begin with a rectangle instead of a triangle. It’s ideal for steamed wontons or wonton soup.
How to make it: Place a small amount of filling in the center of the wonton skin (pic 1). Moisten the edges, then fold it into a rectangle (pic 2). Moisten one edge (pic 3) and join the two ends together (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 4
Based on shape 3, simply flip the edge to create a shape resembling a Chinese gold ingot. This shape is excellent for steaming or making soup.
Wonton Shape 5
I’d like to call this shape “money bag” because it really looks like a money bag. It’s also the easiest shape to make. The money bag is a symbol of prosperity in Chinese culture. This shape is versatile and can be used for boiling, steaming, or soup.
How to make it: Put the filling in the center of the wonton skin and moisten the edges (pic 1). Gather the skin around the filling (pic 2) to form small, attractive money bags (pic 3).
Wonton Fillings
- 500g (17.6 oz) ground pork, or 250g (8.8 oz) ground pork & 250g (8.8 oz) ground shrimp
- 20g (2 ¾ tbsp) cornstarch
- 5g (1 tsp) salt
- 5g (1 tsp) sugar
- A pinch of ground pepper
- 1 egg (medium size, ~50g)
This amount of filling goes along with 20-30 wonton skins.
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp of ground pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2/3 tbsp vinegar 5%
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp shacha sauce (optioinal)
Storing Wontons and Leftover Wonton Skins
Freeze any leftover wonton skins for future use. If you made the skins yourself, sprinkle them with flour to prevent sticking.
If you’ve already shaped the wontons and want to store them, they can be refrigerated for up to a day or frozen. Thaw completely before cooking, as cooking frozen wontons can lead to overcooked skins and undercooked fillings.
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5 Easy Wonton Shapes for Store-Bought Wonton Skins
Ingredients
- 20-30 wonton skins
Wonton Fillings
- 500g (17.6 oz) ground pork or 250g (8.8 oz) ground pork & 250g (8.8 oz) ground shrimp
- 2 3/4 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- A pinch of ground pepper
- 1 egg medium size, ~50g
- 20-30 Pre-made wonton skins
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp of ground pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2/3 tbsp vinegar 5%
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp shacha sauce optional
Instructions
Step 1. Mixing Wonton’s Filling
- This version includes ground pork, cornstarch, and egg. If you would like to replace ground pork with shrimp, just replace the amount of ground pork with peeled, ground shrimp. A mixture of ground shrimp and ground pork is another option; you can mix at the ratio of 1:1. For example, instead of 500g (17.6 oz) ground pork, use 250g (8.8 oz) ground pork and 250g (8.8 oz) ground shrimp. Mix them until well combined into a unified block.
Step 2. Shaping Wontons
Wonton Shape 1 (For boiling, steaming or frying)
- Place a small amount of filling in the center of the wonton skin (pic 1). Moisten the edges with water, then fold the square skin into a triangle (pic 2). Fold each corner of the right triangle (pic 3) and press gently to ensure the filling is securely encased by the skin (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 2 (For boiling or steaming)
- Follow the same steps as the first shape to create a triangle (pic 1-2). Then, moisten the hypotenuse (the longest side) (pic 3) and press the two ends of the triangle together (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 3 (For boiling or steaming)
- Place a small amount of filling in the center of the wonton skin (pic 1). Moisten the edges, then fold it into a rectangle (pic 2). Moisten one edge (pic 3) and join the two ends together (pic 4).
Wonton Shape 4 (For boiling or steaming)
- Based on shape 3, simply flip the edge to create a shape resembling a Chinese gold ingot. This shape is excellent for steaming or making soup.
Wonton Shape 5 (For boiling or steaming)
- Put the filling in the center of the wonton skin and moisten the edges (pic 1). Gather the skin around the filling (pic 2) to form small, attractive money bags (pic 3).