Hearty, healthy wontons made with crisp watercress and juicy pork, served in a quick and easy chicken broth. This post includes detailed step-by-step photos to help you create the authentic dim sum experience in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
30wonton wrappers
Filling
1batch (8 oz. / 225 g)B&W Quality Growers watercress(or 6 oz. packaged leafy watercress) (*Footnote 1)
1 3/4teaspoonssalt, separated
4oz. (112 g)ground pork
1teaspoonlight soy sauce
1teaspoonShaoxing wine(or dry sherry)
1teaspoonsesame oil
1/4teaspoonsugar
1clovegarlic, grated
Soup
4cupschicken stock
2green onions, chopped
1teaspoonlight soy sauce(or soy sauce)
2clovesgarlic, minced
2teaspoonssesame oil, toasted
Saltto taste
Homemade chili oil(Optional)
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.
Notes
Skip the step of removing the tough stems if you are using the packaged watercress--B&W Quality Growers also offers that as an option-- that only contains the leafy part.
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.