The BEST Pork and Shrimp Wontons - Family Recipe! (VIDEO) - CJ Eats Recipes (2024)

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Ingredients for Pork and Shrimp Wontons

My grandma’s Pork and Shrimp Wontons recipe is one of my favorite recipes of all time! I love them boiled and lightly tossed in my homemade chili oil or in Wonton Noodle Soup. Here is what you’ll need for the recipe:

Proteins

• 1/2lbground pork – I like 80% lean ground pork. The 20% of fat will help with the flavor and juiciness of the wontons! You can use any ratio of meat to fat that you prefer.
  • If you cannot or do not want to eat pork, you can substitute with another ground meat, such as ground turkey or ground chicken.
  • Love pork? Try my Sweet and Sour Pork recipe!
• 1/2lbshrimp – use any size raw shrimp; it doesn’t matter the size because you’ll be roughly chopping the shrimp into a paste that will go inside the dumpling filling.
  • If you love shrimp, try making my Hawaiian inspired Coconut Shrimp!

Wonton Wrappers

• When I make Pork and Shrimp Wontons at home, I’m usually making a large batch of 40+ wontons – making my own wrappers would not be time conducive.
• I also to use store bought wrappers because they’re so consistent in shape and texture.
• I like the brand ‘Dynasty’ – I find these in the refrigerated section of my local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch). I’m including a photo of the label below so you can look for them the next time you go grocery shopping! I grew up with my grandma using store bought wonton wrappers, so I don’t believe that homemade wrappers are always better.

Seasonings

• 3scallionschopped
• 1/2tspwhite pepper – I love white pepper and it’s used very commonly in Chinese cooking (another “secret ingredient” for cooking restaurant quality Chinese food at home). It has an earthier, less spicy flavor than black pepper. I recommend having some in your pantry but if you can’t find it, you can always substitute with black pepper.
• 1tspkosher salt
• 2clovesgarlicchopped
• 1/2inchgingerchopped
• 1tbspsesame oil
• 1tbspShaoxing wine – This is one of my favorite Chinese pantry staples. It adds a depth of flavor and complexity to the sauce and truly one of my “secret ingredients” for making restaurant quality Chinese food. If you can’t find it, you can substitute with mirin, sherry, or even chicken broth.
• 2tbsplight soy sauce – You will need “light” (not “low sodium”) or “all-purpose” soy sauce. Do NOT use dark soy sauce, as it is too intense for a fried rice recipe.
• 1/2tbspsugar
• 1/4tspMSG– I like to use MSG in moderation as a flavor enhancer. This is always optional.

1. Make the Pork and Shrimp Wonton Filling

Start by roughly chopping shrimp until it becomes a rough paste. I know when it’s ready when I can see if few bigger chunks of shrimp (refer to the video).

In a large mixing bowl, add the shrimp paste with the ground pork. To the pork and shrimp, add chopped scallions, minced garlic & ginger, then season with light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, and msg.

Mix in ONE direction with your hand until you see streaks on the bowl as seen in the images below.

Next, pick the mixture up and slam it down a few times into the bowl – this will make the filling extra springy!

KEY TIP

Taste for Seasoning!

Now that your wonton filling is ready, you want to taste it for seasoning. I like to take a little and microwave it in a bowl or pan-fry it on the stove to check for seasoning. Adjust to your taste. Once you are happy with the seasoning, it’s time to wrap your Pork and Shrimp Wontons!

2. Fold the Wontons

Once you learn how to wrap wontons, it will feel very straightforward – here is the order I like to fold wontons:

• Take one wonton wrapper and wet two edges with water. (It should be two edges next to each other, forming a corner.)
• Hold the wonton wrapper in your hand and place 1 tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper. DO NOT OVERSTUFF – overstuffing will lead to your wontons breaking and the filling coming out during cooking. Trust me, less is more.
• Fold the wonton wrapper diagonally in half (forming a triangle) – a dry edge should be on top of a wet edge.
• Pinch the dry + wet edges together (you’ll do this two times per wonton); make sure to remove as much air out as possible. Once both edges are sealed, you’ll be holding a triangle in your hand.
• Wet the two corners with water. Bring them together and fold to seal together.

Watch the video for a more detailed instruction on how to fold the wontons!

3. Boil the Wontons

My favorite way to cook Pork and Shrimp Wontons is to cook them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes (5-7 minutes if cooking from frozen) until they float.

Bring water in a pot to a boil. Add the wontons and then bring the water back to boiling before lowering to medium high heat. You want the wontons to cook in a HIGH simmer. This helps the filling cook all the way through but not break the wonton wrappers.

Serve the Pork and Shrimp Wontons with freshly chopped scallions and chili oil, or serve them in a soup and enjoy!

PRO TIPS

Expert Tips for the BEST Pork and Shrimp Wontons!

Da Xian 打馅
My grandma’s SECRET to her Pork and Shrimp Wontons is a technique called Da Xian 打馅! Da Xian 打馅 basically involves slamming down the mixed filling a couple times – my grandma swore this helped provide springiness and additional texture! (Added bonus – it’s a great stress reliever!)

Taste Your Filling BEFORE Wrapping

The worst thing to do is fold all of your Pork and Shrimp Wontons to discover after the fact that you did not season the filling properly! That is why I recommend you taste your filling BEFORE you start filling. Once your filling has been mixed, take 1 tbsp and

• Cook it in the microwave for 30 sec – 1 minute (depending on your microwave)
• Pan fry it on the stove for 1 minute

Taste your cooked filling and adjust any seasoning, if needed. Once you’re happy with the seasoning of your Pork and Shrimp Wonton filling, it’s time to wrap your wontons!

It’s OK to Use Store Bought Wrappers!

I grew up watching my grandma using store bought wonton wrappers, so I firmly believe it’s OK to use store bought wrappers!

When I make Pork and Shrimp Wontons at home, I’m usually making a large batch of 40+ wontons – making my own wrappers would not be time conducive. I also to use store bought wrappers because they’re so consistent in shape and texture.

I like the brand ‘Dynasty’ – I find these in the refrigerated section of my local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch).

How to Freeze Extra Wontons

I never make wontons for just one meal – I always like to make at least 40 and freeze them for the future. However, improper freezing can lead to your Pork and Shrimp Wontons sticking together – when you cook wontons that are stuck together, they usually break. Therefore, follow my steps to freeze these correctly so you can enjoy them in the future:

• Once you’ve folded your Pork and Shrimp Wontons, take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
• Lay the wontons on the baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure there is room in between each wonton so they do not stick together.
• Place the baking sheet with the wontons in the freezer for AT LEAST one hour.
• After one hour, you’ll notice your wontons are frozen. You can now transfer them into a freezer safe bag (they can be laid on top of each other / touch each and will not freeze together).

How I Like to Eat Wontons

I personally like to eat them boiled and lightly tossed in my homemade chili oil or in Wonton Noodle Soup. You can also pan fry them or even air fry them (I like to air fry the at 375 degrees for 8 minutes; this may vary depending on your air fryer).

If you tried this Pork and Shrimp Wontons or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!