Description
This is such a cute and delicious way to celebrate the Lunar New Year and surprise your friends and family with something they’re not expecting (but will LOVE to eat). Tender flaky crispy fried sweet “wontons” are filled with a very cherry filling bursting with flavor. No oven is needed, so go ahead and get your woks or skillet ready. Happy Year of the Tiger to all of my beautiful family and friends in China and around the world!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
for the dough
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (225g)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure cane sugar, or granulated sugar (23g)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (2g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup lard, pinched off into small pieces (95g)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (88-121g) *see notes for buttermilk substitution
- 2 to 3 cups neutral vegetable oil for frying (450g-675g)
- powdered sugar for dusting fried wontons
- a pinch of cinnamon (optional, but recommended)
for the pie filling
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the lard. Pinch the lard off into 1/2″ (1cm) pieces and add them to the dry ingredients. Use a fork (or dough cutter) to cut the lard into the flour mixture until you have pea-sized crumbles.
- Add the buttermilk. Next, slowly add the buttermilk to the mixture approximately 1/4 cup (40g) at a time, stirring the mixture with a fork to incorporate the buttermilk into the flour until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a disc and turn it out onto a floured surface and sprinkle it with a little more flour. Fold the dough over itself 3 to 4 times. Wrap with plastic wrap and rest the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
- Roll out the dough. After the dough has rested, remove it from the fridge and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into an 8×7 inch (20x17cm) rectangle approximately 1/4″ thick.
- Cut the dough and fill. Using a knife, pizza cutter, or 3 to 4-inch (7.5-10cm) square biscuit cutter, cut the dough into equal size pieces. Fill each square with about 1 tablespoon (15g) of cherry filling. Brush one halve of the square (an “L”-shape) with the egg wash, and fold one half of the dough over the filling to create a triangle shape. Press down with your fingers to seal the edges and place the filled triangles onto a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough. Colder dough makes it easier to shape the triangles into the final traditional “wonton” shape. *If the filled triangles are too warm, or too cold they’ll be more difficult to shape without them tearing or breaking apart.
- Shape the wontons. Once the filled triangles are cooled (but not so cold that the dough is hard to shape without cracking) create the traditional wonton fold securing the bottom “tails” together and place them onto a parchment-lined tray. Repeat remaining triangles. Place the “wontons” into the refrigerator while you preheat the oil.
- Fry the “wontons”. Preheat the oil to 350°F/176°C and add the “wontons” one at a time to the hot oil. Fry 3 to 5 “wontons” at a time, turning the pies over every 30 seconds or so, to ensure even cooking. Cook the “wontons” for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle “wontons” with powdered sugar. Remove “wontons” from the oil to a cooling rack or paper towel-lined platter and lightly dust with powdered sugar. After the pies have cooled for about 10 minutes sprinkle them once more with powdered sugar and serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon (13g) of freshly squeezed lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then pour in whole milk until it reaches the 1/2 cup mark on the measuring cup. Stir the mixture and allow it to rest at room temperature to thicken for 5 to 10 minutes before adding it to the flour mixture.
- This recipe can easily be doubled. Wrap the extra dough and seal it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- How do I know if my dough is ready to form into a brick? You’ll know the dough is ready to be formed into a ‘brick” when you can squeeze a handful of dough together and it holds. If the dough crumbles, add just a bit more buttermilk a teaspoon (6g) at a time until the mixture just holds together. Avoid adding too much buttermilk or the dough will be wet and sticky and never add all of the buttermilk all at once. Instead, add it in increments so you can be sure to use just the right amount.
- Substitute vegetable shortening for the lard if you prefer. You may also use a mixture of half butter and half lard. Using butter only will yield a slightly different texture and wonderful flavor.
- Let the pie dough rest. Do not skip this step. It’s very important to let the dough relax so that it’s more pliable and easier to roll out.
- Use a scale to weigh the ingredients for more consistent measurements. Use measuring cups and spoons if that’s what you have, but a good scale is priceless in any kitchen.
- I use a pizza wheel cutter for this recipe. Feel free to make the “wontons” smaller or larger. For a 4-inch round cutter, I fill the dough with no more than 2 tablespoons of filling. Doing so helps ensure the “wontons” will seal and fry properly. If you make larger or smaller “wontons”, be sure to adjust the amount of filling. Whatever you do, resist the urge to overfill them or they may bust open while frying.
- Dust the “wontons” with powdered sugar twice. The first time is right after they finish frying. This allows the sugar to melt into the hot pies. Then I dust them a second time after about 10 minutes.
- Add extra flavor to the powdered sugar by adding a pinch or two of cinnamon to it before dusting the pies. This is especially good for peach, cherry, and apricot fried pies.
- Use this pie dough with other fillings. Try chocolate, peach, strawberry-rhubarb, lemon cream, apricot, vanilla-bean cream, wild blackberry, sweet potato, pecan, or even coconut.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rest Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: Pies + Cobblers + Crostate
- Method: Deep Fried or Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Chinese-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Fried "Wontons"
