Wontons, if made well, live up to their Cantonese name, which means "swallowing clouds." Whenever I have wonton soup, it's an exercise in self-control to not eat all the wontons first. These little parcels of pork in wrapper steal the show, even if vegetables and noodles are present.

Wonton soup is available at just about any homestyle Cantonese restaurant, both in China and abroad. Making them at home is another story. Home cooks who didn't grow up making wontons find the folding intimidating (but this is true with all sorts of dumplings.) Many also think making wontons at home is a hassle, especially when going down to the local noodle shop is such a breeze.

I've found that by making big batches of wontons, I can freeze them and take them out for a rainy day. The Cantonese mainly put wontons in soup, and that's the context in which I knew them for most of my growing-up years in China. Then after moving to the US, I discovered the greasy guilty pleasure of American Chinese food, and subsequently the deep-fried wonton. Wonton soup may be awkward to eat if you're out with friends, or throwing a party, but munching on a big basket of fried wontons is as much fun as sharing popcorn shrimp or french fries.

Below I've included both wonton soup instructions and fried wonton instructions. Other cooks have their own favorite variations on fillings and soup components, or make good use of what's available in their fridge. The filling and soup below is what I like to make for chilly nights.

Wonton Prelude

The skin: I don't know anyone, including 3 generations of home cooks inside my family and out, who make their own wonton skins. It's tough work, and store-bought wrappers do a great job. Wrappers are square, yellowish, and thicker than skins for other dumpling varieties.

The filling: Ground pork is the meat to use for wontons. Possible substitutes include beef, chicken, shrimp, or tofu, but pork is still ideal because the amount of fat won't dry out the filling. You can also add a bit of pork to whatever leaner filling you choose. I like a pork and shrimp combo.

Wonton Soup

Serves 6-8. (There will be extra wontons left to freeze for later, or to fry.)

Soup ingredients

500 g (1 lb) pork bones
60 g (about 2 oz) dried shrimp
1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced
2 liters (2 quarts) chicken broth
500 g (1 lb) baby bok choy, chopped

Wonton ingredients

500 g (1 lb) ground pork (not lean)
250 g (1/2 lb) shrimp, deveined and minced
1 can (about 16 oz before draining) water chestnuts, finely chopped
2-3 scallions, finely chopped
1 piece ginger, peeled and minced
15 mL (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
5 mL (1 teaspoon) unseasoned rice vinegar
5 mL (1 teaspoon) sesame oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1-2 eggs
Flour for dusting
1 package wonton skins, about 50, thawed if frozen

The Soup

Simmer pork bones, dried shrimp, and ginger in the chicken broth for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (There are other ways to simmer with water but this one takes less time, so that by the time you finish wrapping your wontons the soup will be almost ready.) Save the bok choy to cook until wontons are folded.

The Wontons

Place 2 to 3 large plates near you (for when, later on, your hands are so sticky with egg wash and you're on such a roll with the folding that you'll appreciate not having to dig around for another plate.)

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the pork, shrimp, chestnuts, and scallions. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Repeat thorough mixing. Filling should be sticky and slightly wet.

Crack open eggs and mix with a fork into an egg wash. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and keep some extra flour within hand's reach.

Angle a wonton wrapper so that it faces you like a diamond. With your fingertips or a spoon, spread a thin layer of egg wash along the top two edges of the wrapper. Place a quarter-size spoonful of filling in the center of the skin.

• One super-easy way to wrap is to form a triangle by folding the bottom tip to the top tip and pinch out as much air as possible.
• For the "boat" version, start by making the triangle wonton. Add a dab of egg wash to either of the two side tips and fold them together, overlapping one on top of the other. The end result should look boat-like, with two tips cradling a puff of filling in the middle.
• See some more ways to fold here.

Place the finished wonton on a plate. Keep wontons covered with a damp towel to prevent the wrappers from drying out. Repeat folding until filling or wrappers are used up.

The Wonton Soup

You can cook the wontons in the soup itself, but I prefer to cook them separately so any excess flour on the wrapper doesn't get into the soup. Set aside about 6 wontons per person. Freeze extras. Bring 2 liters (2 quarts) water to boil. Add wontons and simmer uncovered, stirring gently, for about 4 to 7 minutes until done. (Trick of the trade: When dumplings float to the top, that usually means they're done. Unless there is too much air inside the wontons due to bad folding.) Cut one open to check for doneness.

Add bok choy to simmering soup, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Ladle in the wontons to cook another minute so they absorb the flavor of the soup. Serve immediately.

Crispy Fried Wontons

Follow the same instructions for making the filling and folding the wontons. Line up some plates with paper towels for absorbing excess grease. Heat up your deep-fryer, wok, or large pot with canola or vegetable oil. Fry a few at a time until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Careful: in hot oil these can go from perfectly golden to burnt in seconds.

Ladle out, set on plates to cool. Serve plain or with a sweet chili sauce.