Recipes

Thai Style Fried Wonton

Geow Tod

Crispy fried wontons filled with lemongrass and kaffir lime scented pork or chicken

Prep

15 min

Cook

7 min

Serves

4

Heat

mild

These wontons trace back to Chinese cooking, but the filling gets a thorough Thai makeover: lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander root, and garlic are ground together until fine enough to disappear seamlessly into the meat, giving each bite a distinctly Thai character rather than reading as a straight import. Folding them into a simple triangle works fine, though a slightly more advanced boat shape is traditional if you want to try it. Fried low and slow so the filling cooks through without scorching the wrapper, they come out with a genuinely crisp shell, served alongside a bright, citrusy sesame dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 400 g Ground chicken or pork
• 1 teaspoon Lemongrass (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Kaffir lime leaves (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander root (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Green onion (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Tapioca starch
• 1/4 teaspoon White pepper, finely ground
• 1/2 teaspoon Fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
• 50 Wonton wrappers
• 1 liter Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
• 3 tablespoons Sweet and spicy dipping sauce
• 2 tablespoons Fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon White sesame seed
• 2 teaspoons Coriander/cilantro leaves (chopped)

Directions

1. Finely chop the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander root, and garlic. Grind together in a mortar and pestle (or food processor) as fine as possible — the kaffir lime leaf especially should end up in tiny pieces.
2. Mix the ground herb paste into the ground meat along with the green onion, tapioca starch, white pepper, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Combine well.
3. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper — don't overfill or it won't seal well. Wet one edge with a little water, fold into a triangle, press out the air, and pinch the edges to seal.
4. For a fancier shape, bring the two corners of the folded edge together, wet them, and pinch to form a boat shape. Work slowly to avoid tearing; if a wrapper tears, discard it and start fresh. Assemble all the wontons before frying.
5. Heat the oil to about 300F/150C in a deep pot — just barely hot enough to fry, since higher heat burns the wrapper before the filling cooks.
6. Fry slowly for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring gently. The filling will pop and sizzle while it cooks; once the popping slows down significantly, the wontons are done. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
7. Stir together the sweet and spicy dipping sauce with the lime juice and sesame seeds. Add the cilantro just before serving.
8. Serve the wontons on a large plate with the dipping sauce in the center.

Notes

Fry at a gentle temperature and watch the popping sound coming from the filling — vigorous popping means there's still water inside and the filling isn't fully cooked yet.

Substitutions

Ground pork or beef can replace the chicken in the filling with no other changes.