Shrimp and Pork Wontons in Spicy Sauce

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These Shrimp and Pork Wontons are served with a Spicy Sauce (inspired by Din Tai Fung’s sauce) that is so delicious you won’t be able to eat just one! The spicy sauce adds savoriness and sweetness that coats the juicy wontons so well!

A bowl of wontons coated in spicy sauce and garnished with green onions.

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Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Shrimp and Pork Wontons
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Check Out More Dumpling Recipes
Shrimp and Pork Wontons

My dad used this recipe at his Chinese restaurant and it was a hit! You can serve them with the spicy sauce in this recipe or put them in hot soup like this wonton soup, hot and sour soup, or egg drop soup. His secret to a tender filling is to mix the pork and shrimp filling in one direction at least 100 times. Trust me, you will fall in love with these dumplings that you will make them quite often!

Ingredients

Here’s a look at what you need to make this shrimp and pork wontons. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.

Shrimp and Pork Filling:

Ground pork – pork is traditionally used for wontons and results in the most juicy filling! You can also substitute with ground chicken but it won’t be as tasty.
Shrimp – larger shrimp results in a more tender bite. You have to chop them up and make it in a shrimp paste for extra tenderness in your filling. I use frozen shrimp (already peeled and de-veined and defrost them in water. If you have extra, you can also try my Fettuccini Carbonara with Garlic Shrimp or Shrimp and Egg Stir Fry!
Aromatics – To cancel out the gaminess of the meat, add minced ginger and green onion.
Seasonings – The filling is not too salty, so adding these light seasonings – soy sauce, white pepper, chicken bouillon will be perfect to season the meat. I recommend to use low sodium soy sauce if you can.
Corn starch – the filling will be tender, smooth, and juicy from the corn starch. Unfortunately, you can’t substitute this with other types of flours.
Wonton skins – thin wonton skins are used for this recipe. Other dumpling wrappers like potsticker or thick wontons will make it very doughy. You can see the brand I buy in the FAQ. Wonton wrappers can be purchased in the asian market (usually in the frozen section).

Spicy Sauce

Sichuan chili oil – A savory and fragrant chili oil will change the flavor of the sauce. So make sure you get a good one! We make ours from scratch and has a little bit of mala flavor that is perfect with the wontons.
Soy sauce – low sodium works best with this sauce so it is not overly salty.
Garlic – make sure you grate this finely so the sauce is not chunky.
Sugar – the sugar helps balance the spiciness of the chili oil.
Rice vinegar – This balances the fattiness of the pork and chili oil. It won’t be too sour, because rice vinegar is sweeter versus white vinegar (not recommended)

Substitutions and Variations

Instead of pork, you can use ground chicken. Keep in mind the chicken may make the wontons less juicy. I don’t recommend using ground turkey or beef for this.
If you want to add more vegetables like carrots, you can grate a small carrot in the mixture. You can also do a little bit of minced shiitake mushrooms.

How to Make Shrimp and Pork Wontons

A wooden cutting board with a knife alongside two small bowls containing chopped green onions and minced garlic.

Step 1. Slice 1 green onion. Mince ginger and set both aside.

A wooden cutting board with finely chopped raw shrimp and a knife resting nearby.

Step 2. Peel and de-vein shrimp. Cut 8-10 shrimp in small pieces. Then start chopping to make the shrimp into a paste.

A glass bowl containing a mixture of ingredients including chopped shrimp, ground pork, an egg, minced ginger, green onions, and various seasonings, ready to be combined.

Step 3. Start the filling by adding ground pork, shrimp paste, sliced green onion, minced ginger, soy sauce, oil, sugar, salt, white pepper, corn starch chicken bouillon, water, and 1 egg in a bowl.

A bowl of a mixture of chopped shrimp, ground pork, an egg, minced ginger, green onions, and various seasonings combined using a stainless mixing spoon.

Step 4. Mix the filling in one direction (makes the filling juicier) to help myosin development. Mixing in one direction for 100 times is a good measurement to ensure its mixed well ◡̈

Pro Tip: Add your water in gradually while you stir. This helps create a super tender filling!

A hand holding a square wonton wrapper with a spoonful of pork and shrimp filling in preparation for folding.

Step 5. Fill a small bowl with little bit of water. Add water to all sides of the wonton wrapper. Add ½ tablespoon filling to the center.

A wonton with pork and shrimp filling folded into a triangle.

Step 6. Fold in a triangle, then fold the sides to the center and press hard to close (see video in the recipe for more clarity).

A folded wonton with pork and shrimp filling.

Step 7. Connect the right side of the triangle with the left side. Make sure you use water to glue together so it doesn’t fall apart when cooking. This makes a Chinese money pouch shape!

Step 8. Add water in a pot and heat pot to medium-high heat. Once the water starts boiling, add wontons to the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes. The wontons are done when they float to the top. Dip in the spicy sauce and enjoy!

A piece of wonton with pork and shrimp filling coated in spicy sauce in a spoon.

Expert Tips

If you can’t eat all your wontons in time, you can freeze them! After wrapping them (uncooked), put them on a tray and freeze overnight. Then, take them out of the freezer and transfer the wontons in a Ziploc bag the next day. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Don’t overfill the wontons when wrapping. If they are not wrapped well, the meat will burst outside of the wonton wrapper and be less juicy.
Use high quality chili oil for the spice sauce. I recommend our Jia You Chili Oil for a savory, umami and slightly spicy (with a touch of mala) flavor!

Recipe FAQs

Where can I buy wonton wrappers?

I bought my wonton wrappers at the Japanese market called Nijiya. You can also purchase these wrappers at any asian grocery store like H-mart or 99 Ranch. I found them in the refrigerated section by the tofu but I’ve also seen them in the frozen section! Make sure the package says these are wonton wrappers because it can be so confusing with so many dumpling packages.

Can I make spicy wontons vegetarian or vegan?

I haven’t used it before, but you can try to use vegan meat like Beyond Meat. However, I am unsure what the taste would be and if it will be as tender as my recipe.

Can you freeze spicy wontons?

Yes, freeze uncooked wontons on a tray until firm (overnight works best), then transfer them to a freezer bag. Cook directly from frozen by boiling or steaming. Store up to 3 months.

What should I serve the wontons with?

Wontons are a filling and satisfying meal on it’s own. You can also serve with this delicious Wood Ear Mushroom Salad, Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce or Cold Sesame Noodles for a super delicious dinner!

Check Out More Dumpling Recipes

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