Wonton

Awonton(traditional Chinese:餛飩;simplified Chinese:馄饨;pinyin:húntun;Jyutping:wan4 tan4) is a type ofChinese dumplingcommonly found across regional styles ofChinese cuisine. It is also spelledwantanorwuntunintransliterationfromCantonese雲吞/云吞(wan4 tan1) andwendenfromShanghainese餛飩/馄饨(hhun den). Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China, Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas.
Wontons, which have their origins in China, have achieved significant popularity as a sought-after delicacy that is not only celebrated and enjoyed inEast Asian cuisine, but also across variousSoutheast Asian culinary traditions.
Yang Xiongfrom the westernHan dynastymentioned "bing wei zhi tun", which means wontons are a type of bread.The difference is that wontons have fillings inside and are eaten after being steamed or boiled.
The ancient Han Chinese thought wonton were a sealed bun, lacking "qi qiao" ('seven orifices'), so it was called "hun dun" (混沌), which means 'turbidity' or 'chaos'. Based on the Chinese method of makingwritten characters, theradicalsare changed from water to food; then, they became "hun tun" (餛飩, wonton in Cantonese). At that time, wonton had no difference from dumplings.
For centuries, the popularity and affinity of dumplings had not changed among the Han Chinese, but wontons eventually became popular in southern China and developed a distinct culinary style. From the time of theTang dynasty, the Chinese began to differentiate the names of dumplings (jiaozi) and wontons.
Wontons resemblejiaozi(餃子) dumplings but usually have less filling and are wrapped in a thin 6 × 6 cm yellow square dough wrapper or anisosceles trapezoidand folded into a triangular shape resembling a Chinese gold ingot known asyuanbao(元寶).Jiaoziare wrapped in a slightly thicker circular white dough wrapper with more filling and either flat or pleated edges.
The wonton dough wrapper is sometimes referred to as a wonton skinand becomes transparent after being thoroughly boiled. It takes a shorter time to boil a wonton. The texture is also very smooth.
Wontons are traditionally served in soup, but jiaozi is usually eaten with dipping sauce.
Wontons are made by spreading a square wrapper (adoughskin made of flour,egg, water, and salt)flat in the palm of one's hand, placing a small amount of filling in the center and sealing the wonton into the desired shape by compressing the wrapper's edges together with the fingers. Adhesion may be improved by moistening the wrapper's inner edges, dipping a fingertip into water, and running it across the dry dough to dissolve the extra flour. As part of the sealing process, the air is pressed out of the interior to avoid rupturing the wonton from internal pressure when cooked.
The most commonfilling isgroundpork or chicken and shrimp with a small amount of flour added as a binder. The mixture is seasoned with salt, spices, and often garlic or finely choppedgreen onion. Factory-made, frozen varieties are sold in supermarkets. Commonly, they are handmade at the point of sale in markets or small restaurants by the proprietor while awaiting customers. In markets, they are sold by the unit without being pre-cooked.
Wontons are commonly boiled and served in soup or sometimes deep-fried. There are several common regional variations of shape.
The most versatile shape is a simple right triangle, made by folding the square wrapper in half by pulling together two diagonally opposite corners. Its flat profile allows it to be pan-fried like aguotie(pot sticker) in addition to being boiled or deep-fried.
A more globular wonton can be formed by folding all four corners together, resulting in a shape reminiscent of a stereotypicalhobo'sbindlemade by tying all four corners of a cloth together.
A related kind of wonton is made by using the same kind of wrapper but applying only a minute amount of filling (frequently meat) and quickly closing the wrapper-holding hand, sealing the wonton into an unevenly squashed shape. These are calledxiao huntun(literally "little wonton") and are invariably served in a soup, often with condiments such as pickles, ginger, sesame oil, andcilantro (coriander leaves).
Each region of China has its own variations of wonton; examples include Beijing, Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Guangdong (Canton), and Fujian.
Dumplingsand wontons from the7thand8thcenturies CE were found inTurpan.
InCantonese cuisine, shrimp-filled wontons within minced pork are most commonly served withthin noodlesin a steaming hot soup to makewonton noodles. It may also be consumed withred vinegar. The soup is made from boiling shrimp shells, pork bones, and dried flounder to give it a distinct taste. Wontons are served in a variety of sizes, with the smallest being two wontons and noodles calledsai yung.
InSichuan, semi-pentagonal wontons are known as "folded arms" (Chinese:抄手;pinyin:chāo shǒu) since after initially folding the wonton skin into a right triangle, each end of the hypotenuse is pressed against the middle of opposite sides, creating an impression of crossed arms/hands. These are often served in a sesame paste and chili oil sauce as a dish called "red oil wonton" (Chinese:红油抄手;pinyin:hóng yóu chāo shǒu).
In Shanghai and its surrounding area (Jiangnan, nowadays Yangtze River Delta), wonton filling is most often made with minced meat (usually pork) andshepherd's purseserved in chicken soup; however, Shanghai cuisine makes a clear distinction between small wontons and large wontons. The former are casually wrapped by closing the palm on a wrapper with a dab of pork filling as if crumpling a sheet of paper. These are popular accompaniments to breakfast or brunch fare. The "large" wontons are carefully wrapped in a shape similar to tortellini, and a single bowl can serve as lunch or a light dinner. They are available with a large variety of fillings; a popular Shanghai fast-food chain offers more than 50 varieties. One popular variety in Shanghai that originated in Suzhou is "three delicacies wonton" (san xian hun tun), which contains pork, shrimp, and beef liver as primary ingredients.
Ningbo wontons come in two types,steamedwontons and wonton soup.Both are filled with pork and shrimp.These wontons became popular at many Chinese-American restaurants due to their traditional preparation.
In Jiangzhe area, they are often called "wonton." Wontons have two types: small wontons and big wontons. Big wontons are a large ingot shape. Generally boiled, the soup will usually be matched with a thin egg omelette, seaweed, mustard greens, and shrimp.
InAmerican Chinese cuisine(and occasionallyin Canadaas well), wontons are served in two ways: in wonton soup (wontons in a clear broth) and as anappetizercalled fried wontons. Fried wontons are served with a meat filling (usually pork) and eaten withduck sauce,plum sauce,sweet and sour sauce, or hotmustard. A version of fried wontons filled with cream cheese and crab filling is calledcrab rangoon. Another version of fried wontons is filled with cream cheese, green onions, soy sauce, and garlic.
Wonton strips, deep-fried strips made from wonton wrappers and served with hot mustard or other dipping sauce, are a common complimentary appetizer in American-style Chinese restaurants.
In thePhilippines, fried wontons are often calledpinseques fritos(pinsec fritoin theCastiliansingular).Pritong pinsekis theCebuanoandTagalogname. It also figures in thenoodle souppancit Molo, named after theMolodistrict ofIloilo City.Wonton wrappers in the broth serve as the noodles in the dish.
Wonton is commonly eaten inSingaporeas part of the country's hawker culture. It is commonly eaten with noodles and are called dry wanton mee.
InIndonesian Chinese cuisine, they are calledpangsitand are served fried or in soup, usually with Chinese noodles.
In Peruvian-Chinese gastronomic fusion calledChifa, wontons, calledwantánin Peru, can be found fried with meat filling to eat with rice orTallarín saltado, and also in wonton soup orsopa wantán.
InThailand, wontons are calledkiao(เกี๊ยว,pronounced[kía̯w]), from the Teochew pronunciation of 饺 (Mandarin:jiǎo; "dumpling"). Wonton soup is calledkiao nam(เกี๊ยวน้ำ,[kía̯wnáːm]); the soup is made with chicken stock and the wontons made with a pork filling. The soup is very famous in Thailand.
In Eastern Europe, mainly Russia (where they are called пельмениpelmenyi) and Estonia (where they are calledpelmeenid), wontons are usually filled with minced meat. They are either boiled or fried; many people eat them with vinegar and sour cream.
InVietnamese cuisine, they are known ashoành thánh.
InMandarin, they are calledhuntun(simplified Chinese:馄饨;traditional Chinese:餛飩;pinyin:húntun).
In Cantonese, they are calledwantan(simplified Chinese:云吞;traditional Chinese:雲吞;Jyutping:wan4 tan1;Cantonese Yale:wàhn tān), which means "cloud swallow" because when they are cooked, the dumplings float in the broth like small clouds.
In theHokkien language, they are calledPián-si̍t(Chinese:扁食;pinyin:Pián-si̍t).
Hundun(混沌, close pronunciation to Hundun 馄饨) is also a legendary faceless being in Chinese mythology and the primordial and central chaos in Chinese cosmogony, comparable with theworld egg.