Korean Wontons — Fried Together, Equal in the Oil

The Filipino Community Christmas party. Jason's second one, and this year he was part of the operation — not a guest but a participant, manning the frying station again, managing the oil temperature with the professional focus of a first responder monitoring a situation. Lourdes assigned him the station personally, which is a form of trust that ranks just below giving him the family recipe and just above letting him sit at Reynaldo's place at the table.

The lumpia — including Jason's slightly irregular specimens — fried golden in three minutes per batch. His lumpia were identifiable by their slightly thicker wrapping and occasional asymmetry, but in the oil, all lumpia are equal. The heat democratizes. The crunch is universal. Nobody eating a lumpia at the party knew or cared that some were wrapped by a Filipino matriarch and some by a firefighter from Eagle River. The eating was the proof. The eating was the point.

I brought bibingka and ensaymada — the sweet buns and rice cake that are the desserts of Simbang Gabi, the nine-day Christmas novena. The bibingka was warm from the oven, the banana leaf fragrant, the salted duck egg salty-sweet on top. The ensaymada were soft and buttery and topped with sugar and cheese. Both disappeared within minutes. The Filipino community eats with the urgency of people who know that the food won't wait and the party won't last and the best way to honor a cook is to eat until you physically cannot eat more and then eat one more lumpia.

Lourdes sang at the karaoke. "Dahil Sa Iyo," her signature, her annual performance, the song about "because of you" that she sings for Reynaldo every Christmas though she'd never say so. She stood at the microphone and sang in a voice that was clear and slightly trembling and full of everything she never says out loud. Jason watched. He didn't know the song. He didn't know the context. But he stood next to me and put his hand on my back and the hand said: I see this matters. I don't understand it fully. But I see it.

We drove home at midnight. The sky was black — full dark, the December dark that is complete and uncompromising. Jason drove. I sat in the passenger seat with a container of leftover lumpia on my lap and the smell of garlic in my hair and the particular exhaustion of a day spent feeding a community. He said, "I want to do this every year." I said, "You will." The "will" was a promise. The promise was garlic-scented and lumpia-warm and made in a car in the dark on the way home from a Christmas party, and it was the most real promise either of us had ever made.

Standing at that frying station with Jason, watching the oil do its equalizing work on every lumpia regardless of who wrapped it, reminded me how much I love any recipe that asks you to fold something small and precious and then surrender it to heat. These Korean wontons carry that same spirit — the folding is meditative, the frying is communal, and the finished product disappears just as fast as anything Lourdes ever made. When the party mood lingers past midnight and the leftover containers are already claimed, this is the recipe I reach for to hold onto that feeling just a little longer.

Korean Wontons

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6 (about 36 wontons)

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 oz) wonton wrappers
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (for sealing)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Soy sauce or dipping sauce of choice, to serve

Instructions

1. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine ground pork, shredded cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
2. Set up your station. Lay out wonton wrappers on a clean, flat surface. Place a small bowl of the beaten egg nearby for sealing.
3. Fill and fold. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Brush the edges lightly with beaten egg, then fold the wrapper diagonally to form a triangle, pressing firmly to seal. If desired, bring the two far corners together and press to form a classic wonton shape.
4. Heat the oil. Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet and heat to 350°F over medium-high heat. Monitor the temperature carefully — consistent heat is the secret to even browning.
5. Fry in batches. Working in small batches to avoid crowding, carefully lower wontons into the hot oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes per batch, turning once, until golden brown and crispy.
6. Drain and serve. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel–lined plate. Serve immediately with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 280 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 420mg