Wonton Soup
As soon as it gets colder outside I am craving soup and especially wonton soup is so satisfyingly hearty. Have you tried to make your own wonton soup before? It’s pretty easy as soon as you get the hang of the folding technique. I have chosen a very simple one which you can check out in the video below.
The filling of this recipe makes 45-50 dumplings which equal about 5 portions. The broth makes 2 portions. I always freeze the remaining dumplings for when I crave them another day. Trust me, you’ll be thankful one Sunday when you remember them sitting in your freezer. You can just add them frozen to your boiling broth for 5 minutes until they pop to the surface - that’s when they are cooked. If you are too lazy to prepare your own broth as per below, you can find wonton stock in any South-East Asian supermarket.
Ingredients
Serving 2 (assuming you freeze about 30 wontons for next time)
For the wontons (makes about 45-50 wontons)
50 square-shaped wonton wrappers (you can get them in the frozen section in any South-East Asian supermarket)
150 g ground pork
150 g prawns
3 spring onions
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp grated ginger
For the broth (serving for 2)
500 ml chicken broth
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp ground ginger
Toppings:
150 g bok choy
3 spring onions
sesame seeds for garnish
optional: chilli oil for seasoning
Method
In preparation: Ideally, take wonton wrappers out of the freezer about 30 mins before you start. This will make it easier to separate them. You will need a clear surface (you can also use a large chopping board), a large bowl to mix the filling, a small bowl filled with water, a teaspoon to portion the wonton filling onto the wrapper, some flour to dust the wontons which you’re freezing and some freezing bags.
For the wonton filling:
Chop 6 spring onions, placing half of them in a large bowl and keeping the other half for later. Grate 1 tbsp ginger and add to the same bowl.
Finely chop 150 g prawns and add to the bowl with 150 g minced pork, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 2 tbsp sesame oil. Mix all well until evenly combined.
To fold the wontons:
Prepare a small bowl with water and place it on a clear surface next to you. You will also need a teaspoon.
Place a wonton wrapper in front of you and dip your fingertip into the water. Wet all four edges of the wonton wrapper.
Place a teaspoon-sized portion of the filling in the middle of the wrapper and fold the wrapper horizontally in half by bringing the lower end and the upper end together. Gently press all sides together so the wonton is “sealed”.
Now bring the two lower corners towards one another and firmly press them together. Your wonton should look like a little nurse’s cap. Repeat until all your filling is used up. See folding process in video below.
Keep 16-20 wontons for later. Dust the rest of the wontons with a little bit of flour so they don’t stick together, place them into freezing bags and freeze for next time. Try to stack them flat so they don’t squish together as they are quite delicate.
To prepare the broth:
Heat 500 ml water and add chicken stock according to instructions.
When the broth is boiling, add 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tsp ginger and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Wash 150 g bok choy and cut lengthwise in halves. Add bok choy and 16-20 wontons to the broth for about 3 minutes. The wontons are ready when they pop to the surface.
Serve the soup with the rest of the spring onions and garnish with sesame seeds. You can optionally add some chilli oil for seasoning.
chī hǎo hē hǎo (“eat well and drink well” in Mandarin)
