Last updated on September 23rd, 2023 at 05:34 pm
Recipe for dumpling wrappers or momo wrapper recipe – a step-by-step guide to making thin, freezable wrappers that turn out to be glossy and shiny when cooked into delicious dumplings!
Be sure to check my Schezwan Sauce recipe!
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The reason I started making homemade dumpling/momo wrappers is because I didn’t want to deal with the freezing and thawing and the preservatives. But as I started making them, I realized how homemade momo wrappers are much better than store-bought ones. They are chewy and you get to control the ingredients that go in and you also can control the thickness.
Whenever we go to a Chinese restaurant we make sure to order dumplings, we just don’t even have to look at the menu. It is because I love dumplings this much I learned to make them at home very quickly. Of course, I figured out the filling right after I tasted it but the wrappers took a few months to get it right. Now that I’ve made them close to a hundred times, let me show you how to make it!
Why you’ll love this:
- No unwanted ingredients – As it turns out, storebought momo wrappers are not only loaded with preservatives but a few more unwanted ingredients. And when you can make them at home with simple pantry ingredients, why buy them?
- Really easy to make – With step-wise instructions, you can make it any day you want. And if rolling into perfect circles isn’t your thing, you can use cookie cutters or cut them into simple squares.
- Control over the texture – Making momo wrappers at home with give you control over the thickness and texture of the dumplings that you make with them. No more chewy dumplings or momos.
- Freezable – You can make and store them in your freezer. It thaws well and you can make dumplings any week(or day) you want.
Store-bought vs. homemade dumpling wrappers – I’m sure harmful additives and preservatives are out of the question with homemade dumpling wrappers. However, store-bought wrappers have them, and those wrappers are always unreliable. Also, you have to fret if they aren’t available in your neighborhood stores.
See also:
Recipe for Dumpling Wrappers:
Dumplings are one of a kind! It really has so little in it and yet they turn out to be the most delicious. When eaten with Schezwan sauce or any hot sauce it is just beyond perfect. One could easily make dumplings the main course!
What goes into these wrappers?
Only about 4 ingredients go into these dumpling wrappers:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Water
I have seen and tried making dumpling wrappers with several different combinations based on recipes. I tried making it with potato starch/tapioca starch / just all-purpose flour etc. After several failed experiments I arrived at this recipe for dumpling wrappers which gives the perfect wrappers.
When cooked these wrappers are thin enough to see some green insides, not rubbery or elastic, shiny, and glossy. Also, these wrappers are easy to store and seal.
See also:
How to use these dumpling / momo wrappers?
- Store them and freeze them for later
- Or make dumplings right away: like this Chicken Dumplings Recipe.
- These wrappers can be used to make dumplings, momos, dim sums, and gyozas; given the fact that these only differ by a few factors.
- Potstickers – Fill them and make potstickers with them.
Variations and Substitutions:
Color – One of the fun variations I make now and then is giving them a bit of vibrant color. I add a few drops of vegetable extracts and they look so colorful and lovely when cooked. Ensure your vegetable extracts do not contain too much water content. An alternative to vegetable extracts is gel food coloring.
Crystal Dumplings – If you’re into those beautiful translucent style dumplings, substitute half of the all-purpose flour with tapioca starch. Pour the hot water only over the all-purpose flour.
Rolling the dough- First of all, don’t be intimidated by the rolling process. Just have fun. However, if you have a pasta maker, you can roll using it. BUT, ensure that you don’t overdo the rolling, as. it will enable gluten formation.
See also:
Homemade Tomato Passata / Puree recipe (w/ storage instructions)
Also, to cook them: you could fill them and instead of steaming them, add them to a skillet with a little bit of oil to make potstickers. It is crisp on the edges and soft on the inside; it tastes delicious!
How to make momo wrappers:
I’m gonna give it to you straight. Unlike all my other recipes where I say it is easy to make, this recipe for dumpling wrappers isn’t entirely easy.
The steps are easy nonetheless but it is time-consuming. That being said, once you make it and store it, making dumplings gets a whole lot easier. I’ve explained it in the steps below. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get on with it!
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make and store dumpling/momo wrappers:
- All-purpose flour – 200g
- Corn starch / Corn flour – 100g
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Hot water – 90 ml ( just let the water bubble)
- Room temperature Water – 60ml
- Parchment paper / wax paper
- Extra Corn Flour for dusting
Making the dough and rolling out the wrappers:
- In a clean bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the hot water to the flour mixture, so that there’s hot water in almost all the areas on the bowl. Quickly mix it in using a spatula. Hot water is important as it prevents the dough from being elastic while rolling out and when cooked.
- Then, add the tap water and mix to bring the flour together to form a ball of dough. Add more water only if needed by being careful to add 1/2 teaspoon at a time. The dough should neither be sticky nor dry. If you follow the exact measurements you should get the right consistency.
- Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes or until the dough isn’t warm to the touch.
- Divide the dough into two parts and further divide the two parts into 16 portions each. Except for one, cover the rest with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
- Roll each portion out into thin sheets, trying to maintain a round shape. Use a 4-inch cutter to cut out a perfectly round dumpling wrapper. Repeat until you have rolled out all the dough portions.
- Dust plates with cornstarch and place the wrappers on the plates. Do not stack them on top of each other.
- Use the wrappers to make dumplings or store them!
Cooking with these dumpling wrappers/ momo wrappers:
- Place each of the wrappers on a clean counter dusted with cornstarch.
- Spoon the filling you’re using onto the wrappers.
- Apply water on the edges and gather the edges to seal them.
- Steam it for 10 minutes or until the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers!
To store these dumpling/ momo wrappers:
- Cut out wax papers or parchment papers into 5-inch by 5-inch squares.
- Place the dumpling wrappers in between the dumpling wrappers and stack them.
- Once you’ve stacked them this way, place them in a zip lock and seal them. As an additional step to prevent water droplets from entering, place it in an airtight container (ensuring that the wrappers are lying flat).
- Place the container in the deep freezer to store.
How to use frozen dumpling skin:
- Thaw the dumpling wrappers in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for an hour.
- Pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture.
- Fill and cook as you do with fresh wrappers!
Tips to get this right:
- Do not add more water than needed. It will only take a few more tablespoons more than 60 ml of tap water. More water will give sticky dough which will in turn be hard to work with. The dough shouldn’t be sticky or dry.
- Number of wrappers: After every time you roll the wrappers and cut it out, there’ll be some scrap of dough left out. You can use it to make another wrapper. If so you should get around 40 wrappers with this recipe. I usually discard it as I feel the scraps are a bit dried out.
- Roll the dough properly. The dough should be smooth and pliable.
- Rest the dough. It is important to let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes but not more than 15 minutes. This will give us the elasticity that we need. The longer the resting time, the higher the elasticity is.
Got more questions?
No, my personal recommendation is that you use parchment paper in between each wrapper. They thaw well this way. But if you should use flour, use cornstarch generously.
Wonton wrappers may have the same base ingredients but are much thinner. They also have eggs in them. Since dumplings/momo wrappers are thicker than wonton wrappers, using them to deep fry will not give you desirable results.
No. That is just a method to form equal portions. You can make a log and cut it each portion out like I have done.
You can use cold water if you’ve no choice. But using hot water gives you softer dumpling wrappers.
You should get around 40 wrappers with this recipe. That is, excluding the scraps. I usually discard it as I feel the scraps are a bit dried out.
Dumpling Wrappers | Momo Wrappers
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Zip loc bags
- Tupperware
- Round cutter with 4-inch diameter
- Wax papers
Ingredients
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Corn Starch
- 90 ml Hot water
- 60 ml Room Temperature water , more IF needed
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a clean bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, corn starch and salt.
- Carefully add the hot water to the flours and mix it. Quickly add the water to the bowl and mix to form a dough.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into two parts. Cover one half with a damp cloth and set it aside. Divide the other part further into 16 parts. Pick one and cover the rest with the damp cloth until needed.
- Roll it out into thin* sheet, enough to fit an 4-inch round cutter. Gently press the cutter onto the sheet to get a round shaped wrapper.
- Sprinkle some corn starch on a clean plate and place the wrapper on it.
- Repeat until you've rolled out all the wrappers and lay them on plates sprinkled with corn starch.
- Use it immediately or store it for later!*
Cooking with these wrappers:
- Place each the wrappers on a clean counter dusted with corn starch.
- Spoon the filling (like this Chicken Dumpling Filling) you're using onto the wrappers. Apply water on the edges and gather the edges to seal it.
- Steam it for 10 minutes or until the dough doesn't stick you fingers!
To store the wrappers:
- Cut out wax papers or parchment papers into 5-inch by 5-inch squares.
- Place the wrappers in between the dumpling wrappers and stack them.
- Once you've stacked them this way, place it in a zip loc and seal it. And then place it in an airtight container (ensuring that the wrappers are laying flat).
- Place the container in the deep freezer to store for later. (See notes for instructions to use frozen wrappers)
Notes
- Do not add more water than needed. It will only take a few more tablespoons more than 60 ml of tap water.
- The dough shouldn’t be sticky or dry.
- Number of wrappers: After every time you roll the wrappers and cut it out, there’ll be some scrap of dough left out. You can use it to make another wrapper. If so you should get around 40 wrappers with this recipe. I usually discard it as I feel the scraps are a bit dried out.
- COOKING WITH FROZEN WRAPPERS: Thaw the wrappers in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for an hour. Fill and cook like you do with fresh wrappers!
- Make this Chicken Dumplings using these Dumpling Wrappers.
Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Nancy says
yummy momos.
admingingerskillet says
Thank you!
Clavinea Nongrum says
Love love love this recipe, the wrappers were soft and they had a nice bite to them!
admingingerskillet says
Thank you so much for letting me know Clavinea! So glad you enjoyed it. ❤️
Dianne says
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with wrappers. While I am a very experienced cook, I have to admit any recipe that requires use of a rolling pin freaks me out a bit. But with your insights, I have the confidence to give it a go. Thank you and best of luck to you!
admingingerskillet says
Hey Dianne!
Thank you so much for taking time to let me know this. You made my day! <3
You will get used to it once you start rolling!
Best of luck to you too 🙂
Molly says
Would it work to use a tortilla press to flatten the dough balls into rounds?
admingingerskillet says
I’ve never tried it, but if it would give a thin disc, then yeah it should work. Or else, you can use the press for a rough step and then use a rolling pin. just a thought. Let me know if it works though!