Wonton Wrappers

Called wonton pei by the Cantonese, these thin, pliable wrappers, also called skins, made from wheat flour, come stacked 60 to 80 to the package (depending on thickness), and are found in the refrigerated section of markets. The wrappers, made with or without eggs, measure 3 by 3¾ inches, and come dusted with cornstarch. They can be used as is, trimmed into circles as wrappers for dumplings, or cut into strips and deep-fried as noodles. They are labeled “wonton skins, ” or “wonton wrappers.” If you see the Chinese characters for the word “glass, ” or bor lei pei in Cantonese, on the package, it means the skins are so thin you can see through them. The traditional skins of Hong Kong are also thin, and some packages are labeled “Hong Kong” to indicate they contain thin skins. Wrappers made without eggs are labeled “Shanghai wonton skins” or “Shanghai wonton wrappers.” The skins will keep in their packaging in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Frozen, they will keep for up to 3 months. Usually you will use about half of a package at one time, so you may want to divide packages on purchase and freeze half for later use. (For more information on wonton wrappers, see “The Wonderful Wonton”.)