Go Back
Thai wonton skins
Print Recipe

Vegan wonton skins (for frying)

I developed this fried wonton recipe to complement Thai noodle soups, especially my yentafo recipe. These skins can be filled, shaped, and fried as well. You'll get 30-40 sheets out of this recipe, depending on how thin your pastry is rolled and how thrifty you are with wonky edge bits.

Equipment

  • pasta machine

Ingredients

  • 125 grams all purpose flour
  • 20 grams tapioca starch + extra for dusting
  • ¼ rounded teaspoon sodium carbonate see notes
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 50-70 millilitres cool water

Instructions

  • Mix flour, tapioca starch, salt, and sodium carbonate together in a bowl.
  • In another small bowl mix the oil and 50 millilitres of cool water. Pour into the flour mixture. Knead, adding more water, a teaspoon or two at a time, until the dough comes together. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
  • Use a pasta machine to make thin 0.8mm to 1mm thickness sheets. Dust liberally with tapioca starch and cut into approximate 8-9cm squares. You can cut these further into triangles, if you wish (some Thai vendors serve them in this shape). Mine are always wonky square-ish shapes. You can use a rolling pin as well, if you want to work for it. Keep in mind the inclusion of sodium carbonate makes for a tougher, less pliable dough.
  • Stack the wonton skins you don't intend to use immediately and wrap in cling film or pop in a sealed container. They’ll keep in the fridge for a few days, maybe up to a week. Alternatively you can freeze them.
  • Line a large dish, tray, or pan with kitchen roll and set it next to the hob.
  • Heat a few inches of oil in a wok to about 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit). The wonton skins should take only 15-20 seconds to cook to a deep golden colour. You can test this by tossing a scrap of the pastry in the oil. To cook, add one or 2 of the sheets at a time, turning once or twice, frying until they are bubbly and a light golden colour. Remove with a mesh strainer to the lined tray. Repeat with remaining skins.
  • The fried skins will only keep for a couple of days in a sealed container. Consequently I tend to fry as I need them.

Notes

It's very easy to make sodium carbonate at home. All it takes is baking soda and some time. Heat your oven to between 125 - 140 degrees Celsius (250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit). Spread baking soda into a thin layer on a clean, dry tray, and bake for an hour. Voilà, you have sodium carbonate!