If you haven’t had Pork Wontons in a Spicy Red Sauce you are missing out! Making them is easy and you can make them in no time. The most time you will spend is actually filling and forming the dumpling.

As a variation, see notes at the bottom for instructions on altering the recipe to make them Pork & Shrimp Wontons

Wonton Wrappers a Cousin to Pasta

The dough used to make wontons wrappers (or skins) is made up of flour, eggs and cornstarch. This mix allows for the wonton skins to be pliable and stretchy.

Pasta dough usually has more eggs and does not include cornstarch. Both pasta and wontons in a similar fashion, rolled to the desired thickness. Wonton skins are rolled thin which gives them a quick cooking time.

Aren’t Wonton Skins and Dumpling Skins the Same Thing?

Typically wonton skins are square where dumpling dough (or skins) are thicker and round. Dumpling skins do not include egg in the dough. Usually just flour, water and salt.

Dumpling skins are used for forming potstickers, shu mai or various other shapes of dumpling. As compared to wontons skins which are folded around a small meat filling and are either boiled or fried.

Watch the Video to Learn How to Fold Wontons

Traditional Fillings

Traditionally, wontons are filled with a simpler filling of just meat and seasoning. Usually the filling is small in the wonton skin to make cooking quick for soups and in this cast an appetizer served with red sauce.

Dumplings can have a variety of fillings from meat to seafood to vegetables or any combination in between. Serving them steamed, pan fried or deep fried are popular serving methods.

The thicker wrapper of a dumpling skin, along with an increased filling, will take longer to cook. Pan fry or steam and serve with a dipping sauce.

Wonton’s Origin

Historically the wonton has been part of the Cantonese culture. Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, the wonton popularity grew. Wontons became a favorite with the Chinese upper classes. Serving the wontons in a clear broth became the preferred way of eating them.

As immigrants made their way to the U.S. they brought their cuisine with them. It didn’t take long for wonton soup to become a favorite here as well.

Wontons in a spicy broth comes from the Sichuan culture. Sichuan region’s love of spicy foods was a natural pairing for the wonton. Serving the pork and shrimp wontons with a spicy red sauce.

Martin Yan – Yan Can Cook

Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook has a television series called Spice Kingdom where he showcases the regions recipes in Chengdu in the Sichuan province. I highly recommend you check out his this series. It gives great history of the region and the region’s love for spicy chilis.

Make Some Today! So Tasty!

Making the Pork Wontons in a Spicy Red Sauce

Assembling the filling is easy to make. Mix the filling and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour to overnight. This allows the flavors to come together and firm up the filling.

It is not a hard fast rule. If you are not familiar with forming the wonton, chilling the filling may make it easier to handle.

Coming soon… I will have a video that demonstrates how to form wontons. Making them is easier than you may think! I have a great way of explaining. In the recipe below, I have it written out the instructions. If you are like me, if you see it you will pick it up a lot faster.

I hope you Enjoy the Pork Wontons in a Spicy Red Sauce!