There is nothing better than making a batch of wontons with a loved one and having a good old natter about everything and nothing at all. The tranquillity and comfort usually seeps into the pleats and folds. These vegetarian wontons are great deep-fried, poached, or steamed. They can be enjoyed with lots of sauce and a side of blanched greens; they garnish delicious noodle soups as more-ish toppings.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘Vietnamese Vegetarian’ by Uyen Luu. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

　　

What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Black Vinegar

　　$14 At Amazon

　　Perilla Sauce

　　$20 At Amazon

　　Chili Crisp

　　$12 At Amazon

　　3 x 3 Wonton Wrappers

　　$3 At Weee!

　　

Ingredients

Makes approx. 24 wontons

　　

For the perilla and black vinegar sauce

1 ½ Tbsp. black vinegar

　　3 Tbsp. perilla sauce or 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

　　1 Tbsp. maple syrup

　　2 tsp. shop-bought crispy chile oil

　　

For the wontons

200 g (7 oz) cauliflower, broken into ½ in florets

　　300 g (10 ½ oz) sweet potato or pumpkin, peeled, sliced into ½-inch pieces

　　1 Tbsp. canola oil

　　80 g (3 oz) edamame beans, or asparagus or green beans, sliced into ¼-inch pieces

　　80 g (3 oz) water chestnuts, chopped into ¼-inch cubes

　　1 Tbsp. sushi ginger, finely chopped

　　3 scallions, finely sliced

　　¾ tsp. sea salt

　　1 tsp. sesame oil

　　1 Tbsp. cornstarch, for dusting

　　1 pack of shop-bought 3 x 3-inch wonton wrappers

　　

For deep-frying

Neutral oil

　　

For poaching

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

　　

For garnish

scallion, sliced 

　　

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

Place the cauliflower and sweet potato onto a baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with the oil and bake for 25–25 minutes.

　　

Step 4

When the vegetables are done, let them cool slightly before roughly mashing the sweet potato in a mixing bowl. Add the cauliflower, edamame, water chestnuts, sushi ginger, and spring onions. Sprinkle with the sea salt and gently fold it altogether with the sesame oil.

　　

Step 5

To make the dumplings, sprinkle a little cornstarch onto a tray. Place a wonton wrapper onto the palm of your hand and place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle. Fold into a triangle and roughly pleat together. Place it on the tray. This technique is great for deep-frying. If you would like to poach the wontons, pleat them into gold sacks by folding into a triangle then pinching inwards until the wrappers gather at the top, before placing the wontons on a tray. Repeat.

　　

Step 6

To deep-fry: Heat about 2 inches of oil to 320°F in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, and fry in batches for about 3 minutes on each side or until blistering and golden. Drain on paper towels.

　　

Step 7

To poach: Place in a pan of boiling water and poach in batches for 4 minutes, at which point they should float to the top. Leave to poach for another minute before draining and then gently tossing in the sesame oil.

　　

Step 8

To serve, place on a platter and pour the perilla sauce all over it. Scatter with spring onion.

　　Excerpted with permission from Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing. Buy the full book from Amazon or Hardie Grant Publishing.