Wonton Soup
A bowl of wonton soup is so hearty that I can eat one at any time of day and in any season of the year. Even though the dish looks intimidating to make, it is surprisingly easy once you try it out.
Servings: 8 servings (60 to 80 wontons)
Ingredients
- 1 pack wonton wrappers (80 wrappers)
Filling
- 1/2 lbs (230 g) ground lean pork
- 1/2 lbs (230 g) peeled shrimp, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 2 green onions , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
(Option 1) Chicken soup base
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 8 teaspoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 8 teaspoons minced ginger
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- Salt , to taste
(Option 2) Chinese street-style soup base
- 8 cups hot broth from the wonton boiling water
- 8 tablespoons papery dried shrimp , or to taste
- 8 big pieces of dried seaweed for soup , prepared according to instruction (*Footnote 1)
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 8 teaspoons light soy sauce , or to taste
- 8 teaspoons sesame oil
Toppings
- 4 green onions , chopped
- 4 stalks baby bok choy , cut to bite-size (or 4 cups baby spinach)
- 1 batch cilantro, chopped (Optional)
- Homemade chili oil , to taste (Optional)
Instructions
Make the filling
- Without a food processor: Combine ground pork, shrimp, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt and sesame oil in a big bowl. Mix well with a fork until everything combines well together and the mixture feels a bit sticky.
- With a food processor or a blender: coarsely chop the ginger and green onion. Add all the filling ingredients except the shrimp. Mix until it forms a silky paste. Add the shrimp and blend again, until the shrimp are finely chopped but don’t become a paste.
Wrap the wonton
- To make wontons, place a wonton wrapper in one hand, scoop a teaspoon of wonton filling and place it near the narrow side of the wonton wrapper (you can add more filling to the wonton if you like, as long as you can still wrap it). Fold the narrow side over the filling, then roll the filling all the way through the other side of the wrapper. Bind both ends and press together to lock the filling inside the wrapper. Brush a thin layer of water onto the wonton wrapper and press the ends together.
- Make one wonton at a time, and line up all the wontons on a big wooden cutting board. If you aren’t going to boil the wontons immediately, use a damp paper towel (or cheesecloth) to cover the wontons to prevent them from drying out.
- If you aren’t going to boil the wontons the same day, place them in an airtight container with several layers of wet paper towels on the bottom. This way, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
(Option 1) Make the chicken soup base
- Combine the chicken stock, ginger, and soy sauce in a pot. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes. Turn to lowest heat to keep warm and start cooking wontons (see below).
- Prepare 8 medium-sized bowls. Pour in 1 cup hot broth into each bowl. Add the cooked wontons and bok choy. Top with green onion and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil into each bowl. Garnish with cilantro and chili oil, if using. Add a bit more soy sauce or salt to adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot.
(Option 2) Make the street vendor style soup base
- To prepare 1 serving of wonton soup base, add a big spoon of cilantro, 1 tablespoon papery dried shrimps, a generous piece of dried seaweed, 1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon, and some baby bok choy into a big bowl. Repeat the process to prepare the rest of the soup base in the other serving bowls. Cook wontons (see below).
- To make 1 serving of wonton soup, use a ladle to transfer cooked wontons, bok choy, and the hot soup into a serving bowl with all the ingredients from the previous step. Drizzle 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil into the bowl and give it a gentle stir. The soup should be amber-colored. Add extra soy sauce or salt if the soup is not salty enough. Scatter green onion on top. Garnish with cilantro and chili oil, if using. Serve hot.
Boiled the wonton
- To boil the wontons, heat a big pot of water until boiling. Add 10 to 20 wontons at a time and boil over medium heat until wontons are floating on the surface of the water. Continue to boil until the wrappers are swollen, around 1 to 2 minutes for small wontons and 2 to 3 minutes for bigger ones. Take a wonton out with a slotted spoon and split it with a chopstick or fork. If the wonton is cooked through, stop heat immediately and transfer the wontons to individual serving bowls. If not, continue to boil until cooked through.
- Once you’ve cooked the wontons, add the bok choy. Let cook until tender. Remove from the pot, drain well, and set aside.
To cook frozen wontons
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add wontons. Stir gently to prevent from sticking. Cook until bringing the water to a boil again. Turn to medium-low heat. Cover the pot with a small gap on one side, to prevent spilling. Continue boiling for 2 minutes (3 minutes for larger wontons). Stand beside the pot the whole time to monitor the broth. If the broth starts to spill, uncover and stir, and replace the cover. Uncover and continue cooking for another minute, or until the wontons are cooked through.
Notes
- There are many types of dried seaweed. My original recipe used a type of instant seaweed that will rehydrate immediately once placed into the hot soup. There are other types of seafood that require some soaking before using. Read the back of your package and follow the instructions accordingly.
- The nutrition facts for this recipe are calculated based on 1 bowl of chicken-broth-based soup containing 10 wontons.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 22.9g, Protein: 21.6g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 0.8g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 1526mg, Potassium: 164mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 2.2g, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2.2mg