What is the Difference Between Dumpling and Wonton

The main difference between dumpling and wonton is that dumpling contain a heavy filling, while wontons contain a light filling.

Dumplings and wontons are two popular Asian dishes that are similar in many ways, but they also have some key differences. Dumplings are served with a dipping sauce, whereas wontons are served in a soup. Additionally, dumplings are circular in shape, whereas wonton is triangular in shape.

Key Areas Covered

1. What are Dumplings
      – Definition, Ingredients, Preparation
2. What are Wontons
      – Definition, Ingredients, Preparation
3. Similarities Between Dumpling and Wonton
      – Outline of Common Characteristics
4. Difference Between Dumpling and Wonton
      – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Dumpling, Wonton

What are Dumplings

A dumpling is a dish that contains a piece of dough wrapped around a filling. Therefore, dumplings have main parts: a dough and a filling. The dough contains flour, bread, or potatoes, whereas the filling includes using meat, vegetables, cheese, fruits, or sweets. People use different methods like boiling, baking, frying, and steaming to make dumplings. These methods are different according to different regions and nations. With new experimentations, there are dumplings with different flavors like savory and sweet. Dumplings are very popular among Chinese people.

If you are making the dough of the dumpling, the needed ingredients are flour, salt, and water. Sometimes, people consume dumpling as a dinner dish, whereas some people consume dumplings as snacks. It may vary according to different traditions. However, there is a specific way to wrap dumplings. They are wrapped in a crescent shape using a circle wrapper. Furthermore, there are different ways to serve dumplings; for example, in soups, as a side dish, steamed, boiled, etc. Most people eat dumplings using chopsticks.

What are Wontons

Wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling. This type of dumpling is common in regional Chinese dishes. Wonton has a smaller filling than dumplings. Wontons are made using a yellow square-shaped dough wrapper, and they are folded into triangle shapes. Another name for the wonton dough wrapper is wonton skin. This wonton skin becomes transparent after boiling.

Traditionally, people serve wontons in a soup dish. Cooks make the filling of wontons using different ingredients, but the most common filling is the ground pork and shrimp with a small amount of flour. The mixture contains pepper, garlic, and finely chopped green onion. Besides, you can also find frozen wontons in supermarkets; consumers can buy and prepare them before consumption. The most common way to prepare wonton is by boiling and sometimes frying. Moreover, the most common shape for wonton is a triangular shape.

Similarities Between Dumpling and Wonton

• Dumplings and wontons are made using dough.
• Both these dishes contain a filling.
• Both dumplings and wontons can be made by boiling.

Difference Between Dumpling and Wonton

Definition

A dumpling is a small, often round, piece of dough that is typically filled with meat, vegetables, fruit, or sweet fillings, while a wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling that is typically filled with a mixture of ground meat, seafood, or vegetables and seasonings, wrapped in a thin, round wrapper.

Filling

Although dumplings contain a heavy filling, wontons contain a light filling.

Shape

Wonton has a triangular shape, while dumpling has a circular shape.

Methods of Cooking

Cooks use different methods like boiling, steaming, frying, and baking to prepare dumplings, but cooks only use boiling and frying to make wonton.

Serving

Wonton is served in a soup, whereas dumplings are served with a sauce.

Filling

The most common filling of wonton uses ground pork and shrimp, whereas the filling of dumplings can include different ingredients like vegetables, fruits, meat, cheese, and sweets.

Conclusion

The main difference between dumpling and wonton is that dumpling contains a heavy filling, and wonton contains a light filling. Additionally, dumplings are circular in shape, whereas wonton is triangular in shape.

Reference:

1. “Dumplings.” Umami Cart.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Xiao Long Bao dumplings” By Alpha from Melbourne, Australia – 小龙包 Xiao Long Bao – Din Tai Fung AUD8.80 (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Wonton pork-crab” By Gossipguy – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia