When making ravioli or dumplings with wonton wrappers, should the meat filling be pre-cooked?

[ViolentScarlet]

I've never tried cooking with wonton wrappers, but am wanting to try making ravioli or dumplings with them. Do you need to cook whatever you're using for a filling before putting it in the wonton wrappers or do you leave it raw? Does it make a difference whether you're boiling, steaming, or frying the dumpling/ravioli as to whether the filling should be raw or pre-cooked? And does it make a difference whether your wonton wrappers are frozen or fresh when deciding on the raw/pre-cooked thing?

Also, if anyone has any recipes using wonton wrappers, feel free to post! Thanks!

[slyc]

Nope.

My mom always makes dumplings with a pork filling that doesn't get cooked before we wrap. And we use the sort of thicker wrappers -- not wonton. It gets plenty cooked in the water.

[RGC1982]

I've used the wrappers for potstickers before, and I used raw ground pork with grated ginger and chopped water chestnuts, mixed with a little sesame oil and soy sauce. If you are using about a teaspoon in each wrapper, it will cook thoroughly and stay juicy in about ten minutes in the pan.

Ravioli need to boil for at least ten minutes normally, so I'd be inclined to use raw meat again, but I have never tried making them with wonton wrappers, so maybe someone else has an answer for ravioli.

[hotoynoodle]

i never cook fresh ravioli for 10 minutes. as soon as the pasta changes color, which is shortly after the water returns to a boil, i take them out. however, i rarely cook meat ravs.

[chowser]

That's what I'm trying to figure out--I rarely cook fresh ravioli that long but won ton ravioli take almost no time before they're translucent. I don't do meat ravioli of either kind, though.

[hotoynoodle]

so maybe that's what was in my head when i did the dumplings? cuz they were cooked in an instant, and the ones i fried cooked super-fast too. i have only used fresh pasta sheets for true ravs, though, and same thing -- they cook in a flash.

[ipsedixit]

At least with wontons, I boil them for about 5 minutes (or after the water comes to a boil twice) just to make sure the filling is cooked. In other words, I cook wontons based on what's inside -- not the skin. After all, who cares if you boil the skins 1 minute or 10 minutes ... the texture does not change all that much.

[chowser]

Thanks--I thought it would get mushy if cooked too long.

[fourunder]

I will defer to others if they know something more specific, but I believe egg roll wrappers are thicker than won ton (square) or dumpling (round) wrappers. Many restaurants who make their own fried noodles simple cut the ER wrappers into strips......to make raviolis, you could either cut them with a cookie cutter of your preferred shape, or simply quarter them.

[chowser]

For all of you who use wonton wrappers for ravioli and leave the meat raw, how long are you simmering them for? When I do it, it's for 30-60 seconds and that wouldn't be enough time for the meat to cook.

[Rick]

When I made chinese dumpling, just one wrapper per dumpling, I boiled them, out of the freezer, for 6 min. and they were always cooked through.

[chowser]

Yeah, in thinking about it, that's how it works with won tons and dumplings at my house but for some reason, I have in my mind ravioli is a different treatment.

[Rick]

I've made some chinese dumplings with pork filling and did not meat pre cook the meat. Also made ravioli using wonton wrappers with a butternut squash filling and did not pre cook that. Both turned out fine, though I really didn't care for the wonton wrappers when trying to make ravioli, the dough just isn't thick enough for me.

[ChristinaMason]

When I make sweet potato ravioli with ravioli (from a Cooking Light recipe), I always pre-cook the filling.

[scubadoo97]

Rick I also find the Asian wrappers to be poor ravioli pasta. I have use them to make little purse shaped dumplings for soup using raw ground meats and they come out fine but they are cooked longer than I might cook fresh pasta on it's own.

[hotoynoodle]

you used chunks of raw squash?

[Rick]

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butternu...

That's the recipe I used, it was OK, but wouldn't make it again. I should clarify that I used frozen pureed squash as I was in a hurry. So while I didn't pre cook anything, the squash was already done for me. Didn't give that much thought, sorry.

[alkapal]

rick, did you perhaps use the excellent birds eye brand of "cooked winter squash"? it is so delicious -- better than any squash i've made (or had) from scratch.

[ipsedixit]

Raw, no matter whether the wonton wrappers are frozen or fresh.

And it doesn't really matter what type of cooking method you use to cook the ravioli/dumplings, leave the fillings raw.

[jimesh1]

disagree...wonton skins are fully cooked(boiled) in 2-3 minutes....this barely warms inside of a 3/8-1/2 inch thick ravioli....par cook meat fillers.

[hotoynoodle]

it depends what you're using as filling, but most things need to be cooked. you won't be cooking the ravioli long enough to cook meat. it doesn't matter what cook method you choose, nor if the wraps are fresh or frozen.

[fourunder]

h,

sorry to disagree with you on this one. sort of , but I have never precooked any meats when making Chinese Sui Kow Style dumplings. Unless the meat is something like Short Ribs or Dark Duck Meat....I see no reason to precook. Even making ground pork filled dumplings cook sufficiently in approximately six minutes time.

Let's say I disagree with ground meats or seafoods,,,,,but not with most meats in general.

[hotoynoodle]

i confess i haven't made many dumplings, but the ones i did i parcooked the ground pork, plus the scallions/ginger, etc. i'm happy to be corrected if it saves time and effort!

[fourunder]

I would agree it pays to sweat some vegetables first to remove some water.....Cabbages, Peppers and Mushrooms come to mind.

[GretchenS]

I don't have an answer to your question but I do that a recipe for you that uses wonton wrappers: aushak (Afghan leek dumplings). http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/358934