A bowl of wonton soup with pork and shrimp wontons, baby bok choy, and green onion in clear broth

Wontons are one of my favorite comfort foods, especially when the weather starts to cool down. Every Chinese family has their own favorite wonton fillings, and this pork and watercress combination is one of mine, especially when I want to enjoy the fresh, slightly peppery flavor of watercress.

One of the things I love about these wontons is that you can keep the broth very simple. The pork and watercress filling is already full of flavor, so all you need is a light chicken broth seasoned with a few aromatics and a touch of sesame oil. I cook the wontons separately in boiling water before transferring them to the broth, which keeps the soup clear and allows the delicate flavor of the filling to shine.

The filling is also quite easy to prepare. I salt and squeeze the chopped watercress to remove excess moisture, then mix it with ground pork and seasonings until the mixture becomes sticky and well combined. Once the filling is ready, all that’s left is wrapping the wontons.

Wrapping wontons does take a little time, so I highly recommend making a big batch when you have a relaxing afternoon at home. I find the process quite enjoyable, especially when I can take my time and watch a favorite show while folding. The best part is that wontons freeze beautifully, so you can have homemade wonton soup whenever the craving strikes.

This recipe makes about 28 to 30 wontons, but you can easily double it to stock your freezer. On a busy weeknight, simply boil the frozen wontons, prepare the seasoned broth, and you’ll have a warm, comforting bowl of homemade wonton soup ready in about 10 minutes.

A bowl of wonton soup with pork and shrimp wontons, baby bok choy, and green onion in clear broth

Ingredients

The key to these flavorful wontons is the combination of juicy pork and fresh watercress. I keep the seasonings simple to bring out the natural flavors of the filling, while a few pantry staples create a light, fragrant broth. Here’s what you’ll need:

Wonton wrappers: I use thin square wonton wrappers from the refrigerated section of the Asian market. I keep the stack covered with a damp towel while I wrap so the edges do not dry out and crack.

Watercress: Use fresh watercress and remove the tough lower stems before finely chopping the tender stems and leaves to incorporate into the pork filling.

Pork filling: I season ground pork with light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, grated garlic, and salt.

Broth: I bring chicken stock up with chopped green onion, minced garlic, and a little light soy sauce. I finish each bowl with toasted sesame oil, salt to taste, and a spoonful of homemade chili oil for anyone who wants heat.

How to Make

1. Prep the watercress: Rinse the watercress well to wash off any dirt. Pull off the tough stems with your hands and discard them, then rinse the leafy parts again. When I buy 8 oz watercress, I get about 6 oz after prepping.

Hands pulling tough stems off fresh watercress leaves

2. Salt and squeeze: Sprinkle the watercress with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and mix it with your hand.

Salted watercress being squeezed by hand to press out water

Let it sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands, drain it well, and mince it into very small pieces.

minced watercress

3. Make the filling: Combine the ground pork, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a big bowl. Stir for 5 minutes until it forms a sticky paste.

Seasoned ground pork stirred into a sticky paste in a large mixing bowl

4. Add the watercress: Add the drained watercress to the pork and stir until mixed through.

Minced watercress folded into the pork filling

5. Fill and fold: Work one at a time. Place a wrapper on your palm with a pointed end facing up and add about 1 teaspoon of filling onto the lower third. Fold the bottom point over the filling and roll it upward.

A spoonful of pork and watercress filling placed on a wonton wrapper

6. Seal the wontons: Press the dough on both sides of the filling to squeeze out the air.

Fingers pressing a wet wonton wrapper closed to seal the watercress filling inside

Wet the wrapper on both sides with a dab of water, then bend the two ends toward the middle so they overlap and press to seal.

Folded watercress wontons

7. Cover the wrapped wontons: Place the wrapped wontons on a tray and cover them with plastic wrap or a few layers of wet paper towel so they do not dry out while you finish the rest.

watercress wontons resting on a tray

8. Season the broth: Combine the chicken stock, green onions, light soy sauce, and garlic in a pot. Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for at least 5 minutes.

Chicken broth with green onion and garlic simmering in a pot

9. Boil the wontons: While the broth simmers, bring a separate pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add only as many wontons as you plan to serve, keeping them in a single layer without crowding, and stir once so they do not stick to the bottom. Cook until the wontons float, then boil 1 to 2 minutes more until the filling is cooked through.

Watercress wontons floating in a pot of boiling water as they cook through

10. Assemble and serve: Transfer the cooked wontons straight into serving bowls and pour in the hot broth. Taste a wonton with the broth and add more salt to the broth if it needs it. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve hot.

Cooked watercress wontons in a serving bowl

My Cooking Tips

Weigh the watercress after trimming: A bunch loses a lot of volume once the stems come off, so I go by the trimmed weight, not the whole bundle. Starting from about 6 oz. of trimmed leaves keeps the filling from going too green and wet.

Squeeze the watercress bone dry: After the salt draws out the water, I press the leaves between my palms until almost nothing drips out. Any water left behind loosens the pork paste and makes the wontons hard to seal.

Boil the wontons apart from the broth: I cook the wontons in plain water in a second pot instead of the broth itself. The starch that comes off the wrappers would cloud the soup, and cooking them separately keeps the broth clear.

Only cook what you will eat: I boil the number of wontons I plan to serve and keep the rest raw on the tray. Fresh wrappers get soft and split if they sit too long in liquid, so cooking to order gives every bowl a firm wonton.

Grate the garlic for the filling: I grate the garlic clove for the pork rather than mincing it. Fine garlic melts into the filling so no one bites into a raw piece, while the minced garlic in the broth is fine because it simmers.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving these wontons in a light, fragrant chicken broth with sliced green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. For a spicy kick, add a spoonful of homemade chili oil. You can serve a smaller portion as a starter or enjoy a generous bowl of 10 to 12 wontons as a light main dish. For a heartier meal, add some cooked wheat noodles and blanched leafy greens to the soup.

More Delicious Wonton Soup Recipes

If you love homemade wonton soup, there are plenty of other delicious variations to try! My Classic Wonton Soup is a great place to start, while the Deconstructed Wonton Soup is perfect when you’re short on time but craving the same comforting flavors. For something light and refreshing, try the Shrimp Wonton Soup. The Shanghai Wonton Soup is another favorite that packs plenty of vegetables into the filling. And if you’re in the mood for a weekend cooking project, my Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup features traditional wontons served with noodles in a rich, homemade broth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why shouldn’t I cook the wontons directly in the broth?

I don’t recommend cooking the wontons directly in the broth because you need a large amount of liquid to give them enough room to cook evenly without sticking together. The wrappers also release starch as they cook, making the broth cloudy and slightly thick. Instead, I boil the wontons in a separate pot of water, then transfer them to serving bowls and pour the hot, seasoned broth over them. This way, you get perfectly cooked wontons and a clear, flavorful soup without using more broth than necessary.

How do I keep the wontons from opening up in the pot?

Squeeze the air out as you press the wrapper around the filling, and seal the wet edges firmly so no gap is left. Wontons that trap air or have a loose seal tend to split once they go into the boiling water. That being said, don’t worry if a few wontons open up in the pot. They’ll still taste just as delicious, even if they don’t look perfect.

How do I know when the wontons are cooked through?

The wontons float to the top when the wrappers are done, but the pork filling needs a little longer. I boil them for another 1 to 2 minutes after they float so the filling cooks through completely.

How to store watercress wontons?

I do not store cooked wontons in broth, since the wrappers go soft and mushy after sitting in liquid. Raw wrapped wontons freeze well: seal the tray tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to a month, then cook them straight from frozen, boiling 1 to 2 minutes longer to cook the filling through.

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A bowl of wonton soup with pork and shrimp wontons, baby bok choy, and green onion in clear broth

Watercress Wonton Soup

By Maggie Zhu
4.84 from 6 votes
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 28 to 30 wontons
Print
I make this authentic watercress wonton soup with pork and watercress wontons in a clear chicken broth, folding the peppery green right into the filling instead of floating it alongside. I chop the watercress fine so it threads a fresh edge through the pork, keep the wrappers thin and silky, and season the broth simply with green onion, garlic, and sesame oil.

Ingredients 

Filling

  • 1 batch (8 oz) watercress (*Footnote 1)
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt , separated
  • 4 oz. ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 clove garlic , grated

Soup

Instructions

Make the wonton filling

  • Rinse the watercress thoroughly to remove any dirt. Remove the tough stems using your hands and discard the stems. Rinse the leafy parts with water again. Transfer to a big bowl. You will get about 6 oz. (170 g) of watercress after removing the stems. (*Footnote 1)
  • Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and mix well with your hand. Let sit for 10 minutes. Once done, use your hands to squeeze the water out of the watercress, as much as you can, then drain it thoroughly and mince it into very small pieces.
  • Combine the ground pork, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a big bowl. Stir for 5 minutes until it forms a sticky paste.
  • Add the drained watercress into the bowl with the pork. Stir to mix well.

Wrap the wontons

  • Work on the wontons one at a time. Place a wonton wrapper on your palm with a pointed end facing up. Add about 1 teaspoon of filling onto the lower third of the wrapper. Fold the bottom point onto the filling, and roll the filling upward. Use your fingers to press the dough on both sides of the filling, squeezing out as much air as possible. Dip your finger into a bowl of water, wet the wrapper on both sides of the filling, bend the two ends toward the middle so they overlap, then press them together to seal the wonton.
  • Place the wrapped wontons onto a tray and cover them with plastic wrap or a few layers of wet paper towel to prevent drying out.

Cook

  • Combine the chicken stock, green onions, light soy sauce, and garlic in a pot. Cook until bringing to a boil. Let simmer for at least 5 minutes.
  • While the wonton soup is cooking, heat another pot of water over medium-high heat until bringing to a boil. Add the number of wontons you plan to serve and make sure the wontons do not crowd the pot (the wontons should form a single layer in the pot without too much overlap). Gently stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Cook until the wontons float on top. Continue boiling for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the filling is just cooked through.
  • Once the wontons are done, immediately transfer them into serving bowls and pour in the hot broth. Taste a wonton with the broth. Add more salt to the broth, if needed. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve hot.

Freeze & storage

  • You can freeze the wrapped uncooked wontons. To freeze the wontons, seal the tray tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to a month.
  • To cook the frozen wontons, follow the same procedure you would for fresh wontons. You will need to cook the wontons for 1 to 2 minutes longer to cook the filling through.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. Skip the step of removing the tough stems if you are using the packaged watercress that only contains the leafy part. In this case, you only need 6 oz instead. 
  2. If you prefer a meatier wonton, reduce the watercress by using 6 oz. (170 g), if buying the batch, or 4 oz. (112 g) if using the packaged watercress that already has the stems removed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 138kcal, Carbohydrates: 9.9g, Protein: 11.6g, Fat: 5.4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 1205mg, Potassium: 265mg, Fiber: 1.2g, Sugar: 1.6g, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg

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