Crispy Fried ‘Pork’ Wontons with Chili Oil Mayo

These crispy fried wontons have a flavourful vegan pork filling and pair well with a delicious chili oil mayonnaise dip.

My love for wontons started young when I was exposed to an array of noodle and soup dishes in my local hawker centre in Singapore. Wontons are a type of dumpling, traditionally filled with a mixture of ground meat (like pork or shrimp) and vegetables. I’ve had the ones served in soup very often – these are also commonly known as Cantonese wontons.

Fried wontons, on the other hand, have their origins in Chinese cuisine, particularly in southern regions such as Guangdong (Canton). The term “wonton” (or “hun tun”) translates to “swallowing a cloud,” reflecting their soft and delicate nature.

It was not until recently that I had crispy wontons at a local vegetarian food spot that reminded me of the delicious and addictive flavours. I immediately decided to recreate them to enjoy them at home, anytime!

Ingredients You Need

• store bought wonton wrappers – use the square shaped ones for these for traditional fried wontons. You can also fold them in different shapes if you prefer. I folded them into a ‘fishtail’ shape.
• vegan ground pork – you can also substitute this crumbled tofu or finely diced mushrooms.
• aromatics – ginger and spring onions
• seasoning – soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper
• neutral oil – for deep frying
• dipping sauce – homemade chili oil, vegan kewpie mayonnaise

Gluten free substitutions: Use rice paper instead as the dumpling ‘wrapper’. Ensure the light soy sauce you use is gluten free. Use tofu or mushrooms instead of wheat-based plant based meat.

Allium free substitutions: Substitute spring onions with coriander. Ensure chili oil doesn’t contain any alliums (like my homemade chili oil!)