Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (2024)

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These deep fried beef wontons are sold at almost every Obon festival in California. Originally a Chinese-Hawaiian fusion food called crispy gau gee, every Japanese American family has their own fried wonton recipe. They usually make an appearance at special occasions and parties.

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Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (1)

I love fried beef wontons. These deep fried delicacies are sold at Japanese Obon festivals in California every summer, and every Japanese American family I know has their own wonton recipe. My grandma used to make these for family gatherings, especially at New Year’s. Fried wontons are not necessarily traditional oshogatsu food, but it is a staple for Japanese American families. My grandma passed away last year, but thankfully I have relatives who remembered how she made it. And now I’m sharing it with you!

Are Fried Wontons Authentic?

My whole life, I thought these deep fried wontons were Japanese. My Japanese grandma made them, and every Japanese American family I know made them too. You found them at every Obon festival throughout California.

But then one day, in my thirties, I asked friends who grew up in Japan, and no one had heard of fried beef wontons before.

Yep. IN MY THIRTIES. It took me over THIRTY YEARS to discover that this food was NOT actually Japanese.

After polling the internet on Instagram, I have discovered that these wontons are a derivative of the Hawaiian food known as crispy gau gee! (Thank you Naomi for letting me know!) Apparently, crispy gau gee is another fusion Asian Hawaiian food originating from immigration to Hawai’i in the 1800s, and in this specific case, most likely from Chinese culinary roots. But given the large population of Japanese immigrants to Hawai’i, it’s no surprise then that many Japanese American families have adopted fried wontons as part of their cultural heritage.

Fried Wonton Filling

Okay, I know I have called these beef wontons, but actually my grandma used a mix of beef and pork. If you’re feeling lazy, you absolutely can omit the pork and use only beef. I have seen other recipes for this wonton that use only beef. Personally, I like the mix of meats, but maybe that’s just nostalgia speaking.

The other ingredients for the filling are green onions, a little soy sauce, and chopped water chestnuts. You CANNOT omit the water chestnuts! They are vital for adding the tiniest bit of crunch to each bite. You can find water chestnuts in cans in the international aisle of many grocery stores, but of course Asian grocery stores will have them too.

How Many Wonton Wrappers Will You Need?

Oh, the question that haunts me every time I make dumplings.

I use store bought wonton wrappers, and there is no shame in that. You can buy them refrigerated in packs of 40 or 50. It chagrins me to no end that I usually use one pack and then have to open a brand new pack just to use 4 or 5 to finish using up my filling. If you’re better at stuffing your wontons, you can probably get away with just one pack. Which brings me to my next point…

How To Fold Fried Wontons

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (2)

Plop a little teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Wet the edges with water. Then, fold into a triangle and press down to seal. THAT’S IT. It is not fancy. But every single Japanese American family I know does it this way. I have never seen them folded any other way at Obon.

This is The Way. *imagine photoshopped pic of Grogu aka Baby Yoda holding a fried wonton here*

By the way, make sure you get wonton skins, which are square, and not gyoza skins, which are circles.

Easiest Way to Deep Fry Wontons

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (3)

Hopefully you’ve enlisted all your relatives to help fill and fold your wontons, so you’re ready to fry lickety split. Hopefully you are reading this and it is no longer a pandemic, and you can actually have relatives over at your house. Anyway.

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (4)

I use a 12-inch Lodge cast iron skillet and pour about 1-2 inches of oil in. I love the cast iron skillet because it has lots of room to put wontons in, but it also has really deep sides so there’s minimal splashing. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F and use a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature. Somehow my grandparents were always able to perfectly deep fry without thermometers, but I don’t trust myself. Plop 7-8 wontons into the hot oil and fry for about 2 minutes on each side.

Boom! You’re done! Actually pretty easy, right?

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (5)

If you give these a try, make sure to let me know how it goes! Leave me a comment below or find me on Instagram and send me a message. I’d love to hear from you!

-Kristen

Looking for More Wonton or Dumpling Recipes?

Try these:

  • Easy Japanese Gyoza
  • Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup
  • Char Siu Bao

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (6)

Obon Style Deep Fried Wontons (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee)

These easy fried wontons are a staple in our family's New Years Day lunch. Originally from Hawai'i, they are also commonly found sold at Japanese summer festivals.

4.73 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cuisine Asian American, Japanese

Servings 50 wontons

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 lb ground pork
  • 1 5 oz can water chestnuts drained & finely chopped
  • 2-3 stalks green onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 packs wonton wrappers
  • water for folding wontons
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  • Finely chop water chestnuts and green onions.

  • In a large bowl, mix water chestnuts, green onions, pork, and beef. Add soy sauce and mix well.

  • Take one wonton skin out of the pack. Using your finger, wet the edges of the wonton.

  • Scoop about a teaspoon of filling into the middle of the wrap and fold like a triangle. Press the edges firmly to seal.

  • Finish wrapping the rest of the wontons until all the filling is gone. If you stuff your wontons well, this will only take one pack of wonton skins, but I often go over by about 3-5 wontons.

  • When ready to fry, heat up oil in a deep skillet or wok to 350 degrees F.

  • Fry wontons until cooked through, flipping halfway through cooking. This takes me about 2 minutes per side. I can comfortably fit about 7-8 wontons in my 12 inch cast iron skillet.

  • Line a serving platter with paper towels to absorb the leftover oil as the cooked wontons cool. Wontons can be enjoyed at room temperature, but keep leftovers in the fridge.

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asian fooddumplingjapanese foodwonton

Obon Style Fried Wonton Recipe (Hawaiian Crispy Gau Gee) - Mochi Mommy (2024)

FAQs

What is crispy gau gee made of? ›

Crispy Gau Gee is filled with ground pork and various veggies, chestnuts, and magical sauces. Wrapped in the simple form of a rectangle using a classic wonton wrapper and deep-fried to golden perfection.

What are crispy wontons made of? ›

Chinese crispy fried wonton chips are super easy to make and made with dumplings or wonton wrappers (wonton skins). They are essentially wonton wrappers that have been deep-fried in oil until they are crispy, and golden brown and served with dipping sauce, or used as a salad or soup topper.

What are Chinese cheese wontons made of? ›

ingredients
  1. 1 egg.
  2. 1 (8 ounce) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature.
  3. 12 cup sugar.
  4. 13 egg roll wraps (or a package of wonton wrappers)
  5. 1 cup water.
  6. oil (for frying)

What is the difference between gau gee and wonton wrappers? ›

You won't find gau gee at touristy spots in Hawaii, you gotta go where the locals go ^_^ Gau Gee is similar to wonton (they use the same type of wrapper). But gau gee is folded into a simple rectangle or triangle (wontons are folded into more complex shapes) and deep fried!

Are Gow Gee wrappers the same as wonton wrappers? ›

Gow gee wrappers are thicker and are used to make dumplings which are meant for boiling or steaming. Wanton wrappers are much thinner and can be deep fried, steamed or boiled. Gow gee wrappers don't crisp up as well as wanton wrappers and don't have the same crunch.

How do you keep wontons crispy after frying? ›

The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. If you're frying multiple batches, throw the whole setup into a low oven to keep everything warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.

What's the difference between fried dumplings and fried wontons? ›

In a Nutshell. The primary difference between dumplings and wontons is that wontons are always filled with a meat or vegetable filling, whereas dumplings can be filled or the ingredients can be mixed with the dough and formed into balls.

What is the difference between crab Rangoon and fried wonton? ›

What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

Are wontons Thai or Chinese? ›

A wonton (traditional Chinese: 餛飩; simplified Chinese: 馄饨; pinyin: húntun; Jyutping: wan4 tan1) is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine.

What's the difference between Chinese dumplings and wontons? ›

While wontons are technically a type of dumpling, they go by a different name in Chinese from the "jiaozi," and one of the main distinctions between a wonton and a dumpling is that wontons are made with a much thinner dough that is usually square-shaped.

Is Chinese wonton soup unhealthy? ›

In addition to lifting your energy levels, metabolism, and muscle production, wonton soup can also contribute to your overall health by providing at least eight percent of the total vitamin B needed per day.

What kind of flour are wontons made of? ›

Traditional Chinese wonton wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs and water, and can be used to wrap around any number of fillings to be cooked in soups or fried.

How do you keep wontons from falling apart? ›

A little water acts as the “glue” to keep the wontons sealed tight so they don't fall apart as they cook. Remember to buy square wrappers (round wrappers don't work with this folding technique) and press as much air out of the wontons as you can while sealing them.

What is the filling in a wonton made of? ›

Make the Pork and Shrimp Wonton Filling

To the pork and shrimp, add chopped scallions, minced garlic & ginger, then season with light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, and msg. Mix in ONE direction with your hand until you see streaks on the bowl as seen in the images below.

What is gau made of? ›

Sift the rice flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and baking soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the coconut milk, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir together until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.

What are the crunchy things in Chinese soup? ›

Mein gon (面干 miàn-gān), informally referred to as crunchy noodles or crunchy chow mein, are a type of noodle-shaped cracker (or dried biscuit) used in American Chinese cuisine.

What are the little crunchy things in Chinese food? ›

What are those crunchy things in your stir-fry? They're water chestnuts, and they're surprisingly good for you! You probably already know a few things about water chestnuts. They're white and crunchy, and you'll find them in a ton of Asian-style stir fry dishes.

What are the crispy white things in Chinese food? ›

The white Chinese crispy noodles are called "chow mein noodles." They are made from wheat flour and are often deep-fried until crispy. Chow mein noodles are a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine and are used in dishes such as chow mein and crispy noodle salad.

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