These money bag wontons are super cute and very auspicious for Chinese New Year. In Mandarin, they are called 福袋 (fú dài) which means “lucky bags”. The idea of money bag wontons is that they are 福气满满 (fú qi mǎn mǎn), a.k.a. bursting with luck and “riches”. So a nice and colourful stuffing is the best. In this one, I used tofu, mushroom, carrot, and choy sum / cai xin.
When using greens in dumpling stuffing, always blanch or fry first. Same goes with mushrooms, as they will ooze a lot of water later if wrapped raw. Usually, I will pan fry the mushrooms with vegan oyster sauce on low heat, separate from the other ingredients.
This is not really a recipe as much as a wrapping tutorial really. It is a struggle for me writing recipes for dumplings because you can put whatever you want in the dumpling really. I also never ever weigh or measure anything when I make my stuffing; I just stuff until it’s gone. If there’s too much stuffing, I just eat it with a spoon!
If you can, I recommend that you make your own dumpling skin, so the wonton skin will be thinner. Fresh dumpling skin is also more pliable and less likely to break. Once you get used to making dumpling skin dough it becomes very intuitive. If you have time, it’s definitely worth a try.
I will be adding Chinese New Year dishes under the CNY 年菜 category so check it out!
Instructions
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Make your stuffing. It could be anything! This one is tofu, mushroom, carrot, and choy sum / cai xin.
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Put a heaped teaspoon of stuffing on your round dumpling wrapper. Press it down firmly.
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Bring in all four corners to make this "4 petals" shape.
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Fold in the petals to make an "8 petals" shape.
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Squish the bottom of the petals together, twisting gently to one side. Make sure the "neck" is tightly closed so the stuffing doesn't come out during cooking. You can put the wonton on the table to plump up the bottom and make the shape nicer.
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Here is a plate of the wontons.
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Heat oil in a large and deep saucepan. Drip a small amount of dumpling skin into the oil, if it cooks and rises immediately, the oil is hot enough. Carefully drop your money bags into the pan and fry until golden.
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Meanwhile, blanch some chives, spring onions, or whatever you like that is long and nice looking.
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Tie the chives around the neck of the money bag wontons and serve hot!
